Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Suwaylih

For one person, living is cheaper in Suwaylih: $721 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Suwaylih
Learn more

Suwaylih Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Suwaylih

🇯🇴 Jordan

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $721 in Suwaylih, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Suwaylih $721

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,315 in Suwaylih, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Suwaylih $1,315

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,908 in Suwaylih, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Suwaylih $1,908

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Suwaylih, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Suwaylih are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Suwaylih 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.23 JOD 5.12

-69.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$69.2 JOD 48.98

-72.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.39 JOD 4.52

-13.15%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.69 JOD 0.49

142.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.40 JOD 0.29

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.20 JOD 0.14

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.65 JOD 6.13

-72.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.87 JOD 7.69

-66.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.38 JOD 0.97

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.34 JOD 0.24

323.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.54 JOD 1.09

-13.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.28 JOD 1.62

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.66 JOD 4.01

190.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.09 JOD 2.18

-10.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.70 JOD 6.86

-4.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.16 JOD 1.53

8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.43 JOD 1.01

-32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.37 JOD 0.97

16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.68 JOD 0.48

120.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.94 JOD 0.66

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.86 JOD 0.61

27.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.63 JOD 0.44

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.41 JOD 0.29

19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.61 JOD 2.55

14.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$20.90 JOD 14.79

-16.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.82 JOD 3.41

-66.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.87 JOD 3.45

-42.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.68 JOD 0.48

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.37 JOD 0.26

213.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.42 JOD 1.01

-62.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.25 JOD 5.13

-66.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.42 JOD 1.01

2.11%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$32.0K JOD 22.6K

-34.12%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$34.2K JOD 24.2K

-21.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$35.23 JOD 24.95

76.47%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.69 JOD 11.11

-22.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.53 JOD 20.20

-29.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$42.82 JOD 30.31

-12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.34 JOD 15.11

-82.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.36 JOD 8.04

-42.87%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$539 JOD 382

36.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,114 JOD 5,036

107.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$35.28 JOD 24.98

51.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.33 JOD 19.35

-9.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$69.4 JOD 49.13

31.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$71.1 JOD 50.4

1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$142 JOD 101

239.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$112 JOD 79.0

176.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$425 JOD 301

136.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$351 JOD 249

80.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$979 JOD 693

141.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$927 JOD 657

71.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$772 JOD 547

-23.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.94

-19.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Suwaylih: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Suwaylih

$112 15.5% 63.9% $197

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Suwaylih

$210 29.1% 10.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Suwaylih

$91 12.7% 15.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Suwaylih

$79 11% 15.9% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Suwaylih

$153 21.2% 96.8% $75

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Suwaylih

$10 * 1.4% 83.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Suwaylih

$66 9.1% 30.4% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $142 in Suwaylih. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Suwaylih, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $69 in Suwaylih. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $210 in Suwaylih – so Suwaylih wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Suwaylih

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

21:41 9:41 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

151,016

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Suwaylih 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Suwaylih

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 Suwaylih: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Suwaylih, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,081 in Suwaylih. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suwaylih, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $142 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $69 in Suwaylih. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $721 in Suwaylih, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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