Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tartus

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartus: $635 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tartus
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Tartus Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Tartus

🇸🇾 Syria

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $635 in Tartus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Tartus $635

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $988 in Tartus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Tartus $988

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,340 in Tartus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Tartus $1,340

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Tartus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Tartus are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tartus 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$10.13 SYP 1,231

-78.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$41.75 SYP 5,072

-55.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.80 SYP 827

-17.65%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.79 SYP 461

-56.20%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$2.22 SYP 269

-70.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.83 SYP 101

-63.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.94 SYP 236

19.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.09 SYP 497

-10.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$0.44 SYP 53.9

359.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.44 SYP 53.9

220.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.74 SYP 90.3

87.84%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$0.81 SYP 98.8

192.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$3.95 SYP 480

318.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$3.05 SYP 370

-12.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$13.97 SYP 1,698

-35.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.04 SYP 126

130.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.37 SYP 166

-24.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.15 SYP 140

44.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.22 SYP 26.66

609.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.22 SYP 26.73

463.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.29 SYP 35.82

275.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.43 SYP 52.7

76.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.61 SYP 74.7

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.65 SYP 322

55.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$4.93 SYP 599

263.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.15 SYP 140

40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.86 SYP 347

-1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.33 SYP 39.53

181.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.01 SYP 123

16.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.49 SYP 182

-88.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.85 SYP 954

-76.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$3.67 SYP 446

-59.95%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

39.29%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

38.65%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$139 SYP 16.9K

-55.15%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$9.52 SYP 1,157

21.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$20.33 SYP 2,470

-0.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$5.64 SYP 685

571.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.47 SYP 664

19.01%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$9.54 SYP 1,160

7520.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$1,756 SYP 213.3K

843.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$11.34 SYP 1,378

372.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$40.40 SYP 4,909

-38.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$46.48 SYP 5,648

94.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$15.39 SYP 1,870

367.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$117 SYP 14.2K

311.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$76.7 SYP 9,319

304.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$232 SYP 28.2K

355.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$113 SYP 13.8K

480.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$49.39 SYP 6,001

1104.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.25

-60.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tartus: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Tartus

$77 12.1% 75.3% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Tartus

$135 21.2% 43% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Tartus

$51 8.1% 52.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tartus

$169 26.7% 79.2% $75

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Tartus

$177 27.9% 131% $100

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Tartus

$9.8 * 1.5% 83.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Tartus

$17 2.6% 67.4% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $117 in Tartus. 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 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Tartus. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $135 in Tartus – so Tartus wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇾 Tartus

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

12:23 12:23 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

115,769

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tartus 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tartus

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 Tartus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Tartus, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $953 in Tartus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tartus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $117 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $42 in Tartus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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