Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,430 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
Learn more

Sohar Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Sohar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,430 in Sohar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sohar $1,430

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,095 in Sohar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sohar $2,095

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,759 in Sohar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sohar $2,759

Chiang Mai is about 35% cheaper than Sohar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Sohar is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.35 OMR 2.45

-64.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$21.17 OMR 8.15

-10.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.17 OMR 3.53

-39.48%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.93 OMR 1.90

-66.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.69 OMR 0.26

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.30 OMR 0.12

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$13.15 OMR 5.06

-82.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$14.51 OMR 5.59

-74.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.13 OMR 0.82

-8.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.10 OMR 0.43

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.27 OMR 1.26

-59.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.69 OMR 1.04

-15.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.27 OMR 5.11

23.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.06 OMR 3.49

-69.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.23 OMR 5.48

-34.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-27.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.21 OMR 0.85

-56.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.55 OMR 0.98

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.17 OMR 0.45

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.83 OMR 0.71

-30.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-41.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.73 OMR 0.67

-58.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.92 OMR 0.35

-46.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.96 OMR 2.29

-30.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$26.26 OMR 10.11

-33.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.99 OMR 1.54

-59.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$8.51 OMR 3.28

-67.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.54 OMR 0.98

-65.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$51.9 OMR 19.98

4.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.23 OMR 1.24

-64.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.60 OMR 0.62

-66.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$10.34 OMR 3.98

-76.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.64 OMR 0.25

126.56%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$18.3K OMR 7,060

14.84%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$20.2K OMR 7,758

33.70%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$104 OMR 39.96

-40.09%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$29.67 OMR 11.42

-58.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$87.6 OMR 33.71

-77.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$49.50 OMR 19.06

-24.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.74 OMR 4.52

-44.72%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$294 OMR 113

150.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$6,986 OMR 2,690

111.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$51.2 OMR 19.72

4.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$43.66 OMR 16.81

-43.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$80.2 OMR 30.86

14.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$47.50 OMR 18.29

51.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$489 OMR 188

-1.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$381 OMR 147

-18.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$809 OMR 312

24.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$674 OMR 260

-6.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,153 OMR 444

104.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$767 OMR 295

107.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,503 OMR 964

-76.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.33

-12.01%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sohar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sohar

$381 26.6% 23.2% $72

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sohar

$346 24.2% 47.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sohar

$100 7% 7.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sohar

$221 15.5% 134% $127

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sohar

$236 16.5% 205% $159

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 19.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 45.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $489 in Sohar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sohar are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Sohar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $346 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

221,605

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.43 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sohar 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sohar

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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sohar costs about 53% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,146 in Sohar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $489 in Sohar. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $294 in Sohar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Sohar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,430 in Sohar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,430 in Sohar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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