Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,271 in Taif, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,271 in Taif, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Taif $1,271

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,863 in Taif, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Taif $1,863

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,456 in Taif, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Taif $2,456

Chiang Mai is about 26% cheaper than Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Taif are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Taif 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$5.39 SAR 20.22

-60.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$37.10 SAR 139

-49.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$7.55 SAR 28.34

-25.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.20 SAR 8.27

-24.55%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.63 SAR 2.37

3.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.22 SAR 0.81

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.81 SAR 6.80

11.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.28 SAR 1.05

403.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$2.33 SAR 8.74

-40.34%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-11.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$5.82 SAR 21.83

183.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$6.93 SAR 26.01

-61.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$9.46 SAR 35.52

-4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$2.45 SAR 9.19

-2.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.75 SAR 6.56

-40.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.82 SAR 6.82

-8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$1.87 SAR 7.02

-16.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$1.34 SAR 5.04

-7.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.44 SAR 5.41

-24.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.91 SAR 3.42

-16.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.78 SAR 2.92

-34.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.32

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.98 SAR 26.20

-40.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.07 SAR 4.03

-13.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$37.71 SAR 142

40.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$1.36 SAR 5.11

-13.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$1.96 SAR 7.34

-91.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$9.54 SAR 35.80

-81.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$0.64 SAR 2.40

129.69%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

-21.58%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

23.64%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$141 SAR 530

-55.69%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$27.63 SAR 104

-58.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$68.4 SAR 257

-70.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$143 SAR 538

-73.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.26 SAR 49.75

-72.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$19.64 SAR 73.7

-66.85%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$187 SAR 701

289.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

395.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$41.65 SAR 156

28.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$50.6 SAR 190

-50.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$94.2 SAR 354

-4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$86.6 SAR 325

-16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$569 SAR 2,136

-15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$399 SAR 1,496

-22.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$897 SAR 3,365

18.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$610 SAR 2,288

8.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$1,992 SAR 7,477

21.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$1,188 SAR 4,459

35.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,573 SAR 5,905

-62.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Taif

$399 31.4% 28.6% $89

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Taif

$181 14.2% 23.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Taif

$123 9.7% 13.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Taif

$237 18.7% 151% $143

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Taif

$96 7.5% 24.9% $19

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Taif

$53 4.2% 9.4% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Taif

$183 14.4% 259% $132

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $569 in Taif. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Taif are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Taif. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $181 in Taif – so Taif wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

579,970

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Taif 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taif costs about 36% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,906 in Taif. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $569 in Taif.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $187 in Taif. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Taif – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,271 in Taif. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,271 in Taif. 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, Taif makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.