Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Suez

For one person, living is cheaper in Suez: $346 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Suez, Egypt
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Suez
🇪🇬 Egypt
$346
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $346 in Suez, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Suez $346

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $565 in Suez, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Suez $565

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $783 in Suez, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Suez $783

Chiang Mai costs about 170% more than Suez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Suez are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Suez 75% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$2.59 E£145
-13.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$13.10 E£734
45.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$2.83 E£159
96.11%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.27 E£71.5
31.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$0.28 E£15.70
128.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$0.10 E£5.33
210.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$1.29 E£72.5
82.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$1.39 E£77.9
163.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$0.82 E£46.07
137.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$0.97 E£54.4
48.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$0.50 E£27.92
166.00%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$1.25 E£69.8
82.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$2.69 E£151
511.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$3.73 E£209
-25.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$7.02 E£394
32.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$1.21 E£67.9
94.21%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$0.48 E£27.14
102.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$0.39 E£21.88
310.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.35 E£19.35
328.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.31 E£17.33
312.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.32 E£17.72
243.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.17 E£9.37
317.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.19 E£10.51
157.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$1.69 E£94.7
144.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$6.09 E£341
187.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.31 E£73.6
22.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.49 E£83.7
86.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.10 E£5.39
770.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$6.30 E£353
758.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$0.19 E£10.77
510.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.18 E£9.91
194.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$1.15 E£64.4
110.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.34 E£19.28
326.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$29.7K E£1.7M
-29.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$21.6K E£1.2M
24.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$19.92 E£1,117
212.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$3.75 E£210
224.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$8.12 E£455
147.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$13.40 E£751
178.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$6.04 E£339
-37.58%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$2.09 E£117
210.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$80.8 E£4,530
811.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$1,507 E£84.5K
879.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$15.88 E£891
236.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$41.01 E£2,299
-39.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$94.7 E£5,310
-3.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$31.33 E£1,757
129.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$74.7 E£4,190
545.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$40.70 E£2,282
659.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$127 E£7,109
693.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$79.2 E£4,440
700.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$490 E£27.5K
382.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$239 E£13.4K
564.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Suez
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$114 E£6,413
415.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
17.03
-67.29%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Suez: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Suez
$41 86.8% $268
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Suez
$111 52.6% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Suez
$82 24.2% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Suez
$32 66.3% $63
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Suez
$55 28.8% $22
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Suez
$7.8 87.4% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Suez
$18 65.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $75 in Suez. 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 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $13 in Suez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $111 – making Suez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇪🇬 Suez
🕒 Local time
00:48 12:48 AM
20:48 8:48 PM
4 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
488,125
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.42 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Suez 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Suez

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 Suez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Suez?
Chiang Mai costs about 170% more than Suez, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Suez?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $520 in Suez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Suez?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Suez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $75 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Suez?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $81 in Suez. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Suez?
Groceries cost about 111% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Chiang Mai or in Suez?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $346 in Suez, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Suez – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Suez?
If budget matters most, go with Suez. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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