Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sohag

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohag: $388 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Sohag
Learn more

Sohag Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Sohag

🇪🇬 Egypt

$388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sohag

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Sohag actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $388 in Sohag, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Sohag $388

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $620 in Sohag, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Sohag $620

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $851 in Sohag, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Sohag $851

Chiang Mai costs about 141% more than Sohag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sohag are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sohag 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$3.11 E£167

-31.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$13.51 E£727

37.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$4.33 E£233

29.33%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.24 E£66.6

33.87%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.31 E£16.80

109.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.12 E£6.28

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$1.30 E£69.8

78.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.66 E£143

37.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.73 E£39.47

176.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.64 E£34.20

120.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$0.60 E£32.18

131.67%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.05 E£56.7

125.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$3.33 E£179

396.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$3.75 E£202

-28.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$8.39 E£452

7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.22 E£65.9

96.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.68 E£36.70

52.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.48 E£25.61

245.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.27 E£14.75

477.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.31 E£16.63

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.38 E£20.22

186.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.26 E£13.91

192.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.19 E£10.08

168.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$1.55 E£83.6

165.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$6.58 E£354

172.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.08 E£58.3

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$1.79 E£96.4

57.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.11 E£6.19

745.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$0.33 E£17.96

257.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.28 E£15.06

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$0.93 E£50.1

94.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$0.40 E£21.52

267.50%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$34.0K E£1.8M

-38.25%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$24.0K E£1.3M

10.44%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.6 ฿2,092

$15.92 E£858

292.96%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.60 ฿388

$7.06 E£380

64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$14.31 E£770

41.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$14.67 E£790

158.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$2.36 E£127

175.85%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$727 ฿24.3K

$82.7 E£4,452

779.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$1,617 E£87.1K

925.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$15.01 E£808

256.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$27.29 E£1,470

-9.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$99.5 E£5,356

-9.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$44.85 E£2,415

60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$118 E£6,358

307.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$64.6 E£3,477

380.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$206 E£11.1K

412.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$115 E£6,199

472.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$725 E£39.0K

233.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$338 E£18.2K

375.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$163 E£8,751

266.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.48

-66.20%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sohag: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Sohag

$65 16.6% 79.2% $245

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Sohag

$115 29.6% 51.5% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Sohag

$84 21.6% 22.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sohag

$37 9.6% 60.5% $57

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Sohag

$66 17.1% 13.5% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sohag

$2.2 * 0.6% 96.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Sohag

$19 5% 61.9% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $118 in Sohag. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Sohag. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $115 – making Sohag the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Sohag

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

189,695

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.85 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.48 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Sohag 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sohag

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chiang Mai vs Sohag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 141% more than Sohag, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $583 in Sohag. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sohag, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $14 in Sohag. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 106% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $388 in Sohag, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sohag – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sohag. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.