Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Wadi Musa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,012 in Wadi Musa, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. The total is higher in Wadi Musa despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Wadi Musa
Learn more

Wadi Musa Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Wadi Musa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Wadi Musa

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,012 in Wadi Musa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Wadi Musa $1,012

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,308 in Wadi Musa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Wadi Musa $1,308

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,604 in Wadi Musa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Wadi Musa $1,604

Chiang Mai is about 8% cheaper than Wadi Musa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Wadi Musa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Wadi Musa 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.95 JOD 4.92

-67.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$35.44 JOD 25.09

-46.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.85 JOD 4.85

-18.98%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.79 JOD 1.98

-40.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.47 JOD 0.33

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.40 JOD 0.28

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.70 JOD 6.16

-72.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$11.04 JOD 7.82

-66.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.39 JOD 0.98

40.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.69 JOD 0.49

108.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-7.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.32 JOD 1.64

-1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.06 JOD 6.41

81.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.55 JOD 3.93

-49.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.35 JOD 8.03

-17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.44 JOD 1.02

63.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.38 JOD 0.98

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.38 JOD 0.98

15.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.73 JOD 0.52

105.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.69 JOD 0.49

85.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.69 JOD 0.49

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.63 JOD 0.45

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.44 JOD 0.31

11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.44 JOD 2.43

20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$21.02 JOD 14.89

-16.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.98 JOD 3.53

-67.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.08 JOD 3.60

-45.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.62 JOD 0.44

87.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.37 JOD 0.97

-61.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.03 JOD 4.97

-65.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.10 JOD 0.78

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$32.7K JOD 23.1K

-35.51%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$34.4K JOD 24.3K

-21.62%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$71.8 JOD 50.8

-13.40%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$4.12 JOD 2.92

195.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$13.99 JOD 9.90

43.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$34.62 JOD 24.51

7.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.17 JOD 7.91

-41.90%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$557 JOD 394

32.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$9,465 JOD 6,701

55.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$61.8 JOD 43.78

-13.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$80.0 JOD 56.7

-69.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$124 JOD 88.1

-26.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$83.4 JOD 59.0

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$351 JOD 249

37.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$284 JOD 201

8.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$499 JOD 354

18.08%

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 Wadi Musa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Wadi Musa

$284 28.1% 8% $25

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Wadi Musa

$238 23.5% 1.5% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Wadi Musa

$157 15.5% 44.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Wadi Musa

$90 8.9% 4.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Wadi Musa

$179 17.7% 130% $101

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Wadi Musa

$7.5 * 0.7% 87.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Wadi Musa

$57 5.6% 13.3% $6.7

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 $351 in Wadi Musa. 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 18% 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 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Wadi Musa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Wadi Musa

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

22:54 10:54 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,000

💱 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.794 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Wadi Musa 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Wadi Musa

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 Wadi Musa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wadi Musa costs about 8% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,519 in Wadi Musa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wadi Musa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $351 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,012 in Wadi Musa. That makes Chiang Mai about 8% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in Wadi Musa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,012 in Wadi Musa. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,012 in Wadi Musa. 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.