Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Umm Salal 'ali

For one person, living is cheaper in Umm Salal ’ali: $790 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Umm Salal 'ali
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Umm Salal 'ali Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Umm Salal 'ali

🇶🇦 Qatar

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Umm Salal 'ali

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 Umm Salal 'ali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $790 in Umm Salal ’ali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Umm Salal 'ali $790

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,348 in Umm Salal ’ali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Umm Salal 'ali $1,348

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,906 in Umm Salal ’ali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Umm Salal 'ali $1,906

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Umm Salal ’ali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Umm Salal ’ali are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Umm Salal ’ali 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$11.15 QAR 40.59

-80.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$73.2 QAR 266

-74.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.37 QAR 30.48

-33.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.34 QAR 44.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.65 QAR 49.69

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$5.94 QAR 21.62

-72.05%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.01 QAR 3.67

-35.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.46 QAR 1.69

-34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$2.08 QAR 7.59

-2.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.43 QAR 5.21

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.85 QAR 6.72

-24.86%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$3.42 QAR 12.45

-30.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$11.17 QAR 40.66

47.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$8.44 QAR 30.71

-68.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$11.57 QAR 42.11

-22.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$2.25 QAR 8.20

6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.83 QAR 6.66

-43.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.61 QAR 5.88

3.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.25 QAR 4.56

24.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.00 QAR 3.63

24.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.01 QAR 3.68

7.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$1.39 QAR 5.07

-45.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.51 QAR 1.85

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.55 QAR 34.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 QAR 6.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 QAR 8.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.74 QAR 24.52

-38.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$1.96 QAR 7.13

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$1.97 QAR 7.18

-91.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$13.87 QAR 50.5

-86.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$0.58 QAR 2.12

153.45%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$24.1K QAR 87.8K

-12.86%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$21.6K QAR 78.7K

22.69%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$91.0 QAR 331

-31.23%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$34.21 QAR 125

-66.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$86.8 QAR 316

-76.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$12.16 QAR 44.28

-46.46%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$737 QAR 2,683

-1.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$16.8K QAR 61.1K

-1.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$61.6 QAR 224

-13.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$48.39 QAR 176

-48.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$99.4 QAR 362

-9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$83.9 QAR 305

-14.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.92

-5.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Umm Salal 'ali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Umm Salal 'ali

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Umm Salal 'ali

$218 27.6% 7.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Umm Salal 'ali

$132 16.7% 21.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Umm Salal 'ali

$212 26.8% 124% $117

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Umm Salal 'ali

$191 24.2% 150% $115

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Umm Salal 'ali

$12 * 1.5% 79.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Umm Salal 'ali

$24 * 3.1% 52.2% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $73 in Umm Salal ’ali. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Umm Salal ’ali – so Umm Salal ’ali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇶🇦 Umm Salal 'ali

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

33,909

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.07 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Umm Salal 'ali 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Umm Salal 'ali

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 Umm Salal 'ali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Umm Salal ’ali, 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 $1,185 in Umm Salal ’ali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $73 in Umm Salal ’ali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $790 in Umm Salal ’ali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $790 in Umm Salal ’ali to $935 in Chiang Mai. 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.