Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yanbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,021 in Yanbu, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Yanbu despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Yanbu
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Yanbu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Yanbu

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,021 in Yanbu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Yanbu $1,021

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,620 in Yanbu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Yanbu $1,620

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,220 in Yanbu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Yanbu $2,220

Chiang Mai is about 8% cheaper than Yanbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Yanbu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Yanbu 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.99 SAR 22.48

-62.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$38.12 SAR 143

-50.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.67 SAR 25.03

-16.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.90 SAR 14.65

-57.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.82 SAR 3.07

-21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.18 SAR 0.68

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.71 SAR 6.40

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.94 SAR 3.52

53.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.20 SAR 8.26

-39.55%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.53 SAR 9.49

-9.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.33 SAR 23.76

159.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.43 SAR 31.64

-67.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.00 SAR 48.78

-28.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.12 SAR 7.97

10.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.71 SAR 6.41

-43.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.46 SAR 5.46

9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.62 SAR 6.06

-7.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.17 SAR 4.39

9.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.04 SAR 3.91

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.10 SAR 4.13

-35.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.54 SAR 2.03

-9.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.48 SAR 24.32

-36.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.06 SAR 3.97

-17.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$37.43 SAR 140

44.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.15 SAR 11.82

-63.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.78 SAR 2.94

-32.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$13.66 SAR 51.3

-82.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.62 SAR 2.32

133.87%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$37.9K SAR 142.4K

-44.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

22.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$91.4 SAR 343

-32.01%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$22.38 SAR 84.0

-45.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$67.0 SAR 251

-69.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$95.6 SAR 359

-60.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.53 SAR 99.6

-85.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.78 SAR 44.21

-44.91%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$263 SAR 987

180.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,844 SAR 14.4K

284.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$74.3 SAR 279

-28.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$57.7 SAR 217

-57.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$99.2 SAR 372

-7.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$93.5 SAR 351

-23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$315 SAR 1,181

53.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$211 SAR 790

46.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$610 SAR 2,288

65.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$414 SAR 1,552

53.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,702 SAR 6,387

38.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,237 SAR 4,644

28.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,411 SAR 12.8K

-82.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.39

3.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yanbu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Yanbu

$210 20.6% 31.9% $98

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Yanbu

$197 19.3% 16.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Yanbu

$146 14.3% 34.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yanbu

$181 17.7% 91.4% $86

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Yanbu

$119 11.6% 53.1% $41

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yanbu

$49 4.8% 20.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Yanbu

$119 11.7% 137% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $315 in Yanbu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yanbu are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Yanbu. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in Yanbu – so Yanbu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Yanbu

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

11:09 11:09 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

233,236

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Yanbu 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yanbu

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 Yanbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yanbu costs about 9% 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 $1,531 in Yanbu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yanbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $263 in Yanbu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Yanbu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,021 in Yanbu. 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 $1,021 in Yanbu. 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, Yanbu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.