Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tangier

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,006 in Tangier, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Tangier
🇲🇦 Morocco
$1,006
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,006 in Tangier, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $938
  • Tangier $1,006

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,521 in Tangier, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,426
  • Tangier $1,521

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,036 in Tangier, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,914
  • Tangier $2,036

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Tangier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tangier are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Tangier 25% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.26 ฿75.4
$5.07 MAD 49.40
-55.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.18 ฿641
$35.60 MAD 347
-46.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 ฿187
$7.16 MAD 69.9
-21.93%
Cappuccino
$1.72 ฿57.6
$2.20 MAD 21.46
-21.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$0.85 MAD 8.27
-24.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.18
$0.39 MAD 3.83
-15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿78.7
$6.29 MAD 61.3
-62.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 ฿130
$5.08 MAD 49.57
-23.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ฿68.6
$1.00 MAD 9.79
105.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 ฿46.70
$1.11 MAD 10.83
26.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.89
$1.68 MAD 16.42
-23.81%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿75.3
$1.92 MAD 18.68
17.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.94 ฿566
$9.96 MAD 97.1
70.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.74 ฿91.6
$6.83 MAD 66.6
-59.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.36 ฿313
$13.31 MAD 130
-29.68%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.3
$1.57 MAD 15.35
52.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 ฿33.92
$1.48 MAD 14.41
-31.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 ฿53.9
$0.75 MAD 7.28
114.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ฿50.7
$0.74 MAD 7.26
105.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.90
$0.67 MAD 6.49
91.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.22
$0.70 MAD 6.80
58.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.09
$0.46 MAD 4.47
56.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.54
$0.60 MAD 5.81
-13.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.33 ฿145
$4.11 MAD 40.07
5.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.73 ฿593
$9.25 MAD 90.2
91.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.4
$3.76 MAD 36.66
-56.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.3
$3.92 MAD 38.20
-27.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 ฿28.31
$0.42 MAD 4.11
102.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ฿1,801
$15.60 MAD 152
245.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 ฿39.18
$0.73 MAD 7.15
60.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿19.00
$0.97 MAD 9.46
-41.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.37 ฿79.2
$9.02 MAD 88.0
-73.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$1.52 MAD 14.83
-4.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K ฿684.3K
$34.0K MAD 331.8K
-39.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿886.1K
$29.4K MAD 286.3K
-9.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,083
$76.4 MAD 745
-18.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.27 ฿410
$13.29 MAD 130
-7.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.97 ฿668
$39.29 MAD 383
-49.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.91 ฿1,267
$29.40 MAD 287
28.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.76 ฿126
$35.86 MAD 350
-89.51%
Cinema Ticket
$6.71 ฿224
$7.40 MAD 72.1
-9.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 ฿26.6K
$91.3 MAD 891
772.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿495.7K
$6,084 MAD 59.3K
143.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ฿1,780
$35.79 MAD 349
48.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.05 ฿837
$49.58 MAD 483
-49.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 ฿3,062
$99.5 MAD 970
-7.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 ฿2,455
$104 MAD 1,010
-29.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$464 ฿15.5K
$485 MAD 4,731
-4.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ฿10.2K
$324 MAD 3,164
-6.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ฿30.6K
$874 MAD 8,525
4.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$503 MAD 4,908
9.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,912 ฿63.9K
$1,756 MAD 17.1K
8.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,438 ฿48.1K
$1,188 MAD 11.6K
21.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Tangier
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿19.9K
$490 MAD 4,773
21.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.67
51.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tangier: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$305
Tangier
$324 6.5% $20
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$238
Tangier
$220 7.4% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
Tangier
$130 18.5% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$95
Tangier
$129 36.4% $34
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
Tangier
$135 70.9% $56
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Tangier
$23 62.7% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Tangier
$44 13.9% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $485 in Tangier. 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 22% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $36.00 in Tangier. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $220 in Tangier – so Tangier wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇲🇦 Tangier
🕒 Local time
20:57 8:57 PM
14:57 2:57 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
947,952
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Tangier 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Tangier

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 Tangier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Tangier?
Tangier costs about 7% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Tangier?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,509 in Tangier. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Tangier?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Tangier?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $91.3 in Tangier. 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 Tangier?
Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Tangier – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chiang Mai or in Tangier?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Tangier at $1,006. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tangier it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Tangier?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,006 in Tangier. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Tangier?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Tangier?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tangier makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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