Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zagazig

For one person, living is cheaper in Zagazig: $359 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Zagazig
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Zagazig Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Zagazig

🇪🇬 Egypt

$359

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $359 in Zagazig, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Zagazig $359

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $599 in Zagazig, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Zagazig $599

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $838 in Zagazig, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Zagazig $838

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Zagazig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Zagazig are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Zagazig 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$3.65 E£203

-37.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$14.80 E£825

32.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$4.96 E£277

13.10%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$0.93 E£51.6

78.49%

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

$0.70 ฿23.61

$0.27 E£14.98

159.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.14 E£7.87

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.1

$1.46 E£81.4

65.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$2.21 E£123

67.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$0.75 E£41.57

160.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.47

$0.29 E£16.18

386.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.03

$0.59 E£32.78

122.03%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.17 E£65.2

86.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$3.77 E£210

341.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$3.96 E£221

-30.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$7.58 E£423

20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.33 E£74.4

79.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.58

$0.73 E£40.66

41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$0.38 E£21.36

328.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.23 E£12.60

552.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.53

$0.38 E£21.19

239.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.37

$0.35 E£19.62

217.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.30

$0.08 E£4.30

800.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.23 E£12.85

130.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$1.94 E£108

122.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$7.51 E£419

139.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.55 E£86.4

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.03 E£113

39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.13

$0.11 E£6.11

681.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

$5.41 E£302

884.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.66

$0.21 E£11.97

476.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.16

$0.18 E£9.87

216.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.45 E£80.9

62.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.40

$0.41 E£22.83

251.22%

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

$20.7K ฿699.2K

$33.7K E£1.9M

-38.44%

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

$26.8K ฿904.0K

$25.7K E£1.4M

4.29%

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

$62.3 ฿2,102

$14.13 E£788

341.12%

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

$12.11 ฿408

$4.84 E£270

150.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$10.27 E£573

94.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,250

$9.84 E£549

276.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$1.89 E£106

243.92%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$118 E£6,561

573.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.5K

$3,513 E£195.9K

321.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$18.90 E£1,054

184.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$48.48 E£2,704

-49.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,064

$111 E£6,198

-18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$16.86 E£940

321.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$36.54 E£2,038

715.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$93.5 E£5,213

492.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$283 E£15.8K

410.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$153 E£8,526

286.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Zagazig: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Zagazig

$37 10.2% 87.7% $261

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Zagazig

$117 32.5% 50.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Zagazig

$88 24.5% 18.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Zagazig

$29 8.1% 69% $65

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Zagazig

$69 19.1% 12.8% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zagazig

$7 1.9% 88.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zagazig

$14 3.8% 72.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $15 in Zagazig. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $117 – making Zagazig the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Zagazig

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

285,097

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Zagazig 6,850 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zagazig

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 Zagazig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Zagazig, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $539 in Zagazig. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $118 in Zagazig. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zagazig, where all-in costs run around $359, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Zagazig it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $359 in Zagazig to $925 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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