Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dahab and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
Learn more

Dahab Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dahab and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $453 per month in Dahab vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dahab $453
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $755 per month in Dahab vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dahab $755
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,057 per month in Dahab vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dahab $1,057
Chiang Mai $1,914

Dahab is about 52% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Dahab and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dahab 66% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 E£198

$2.26 ฿75.4

63.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.14 E£702

$19.18 ฿641

-31.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 E£248

$5.59 ฿187

-16.99%

Cappuccino

$1.58 E£84.3

$1.72 ฿57.6

-8.14%

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

$0.46 E£24.50

$0.64 ฿21.54

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 E£14.50

$0.33 ฿11.18

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 E£104

$2.36 ฿78.7

-17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 E£125

$3.90 ฿130

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£52.0

$2.05 ฿68.6

-52.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 E£60.0

$1.40 ฿46.70

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 E£38.75

$1.28 ฿42.89

-42.97%

Eggs

$1.35 E£72.0

$2.25 ฿75.3

-40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 E£568

$16.94 ฿566

-37.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 E£207

$2.74 ฿91.6

41.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.65 E£569

$9.36 ฿313

13.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 E£124

$2.40 ฿80.3

-2.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.4

$1.01 ฿33.92

43.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 E£33.55

$1.61 ฿53.9

-60.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.39

$1.52 ฿50.7

-61.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.14

$1.28 ฿42.90

-57.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.72

$1.11 ฿37.22

-46.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 E£47.16

$0.72 ฿24.09

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.58

$0.52 ฿17.54

-61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 E£80.0

$4.33 ฿145

-65.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 E£363

$17.73 ฿593

-61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 E£84.5

$1.63 ฿54.4

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.08

$0.85 ฿28.31

-75.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.56 E£404

$53.9 ฿1,801

-85.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 E£41.30

$1.17 ฿39.18

-34.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£23.13

$1.45 ฿48.32

-70.34%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$17.85 E£953

$62.3 ฿2,083

-71.36%

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

$6.84 E£365

$12.27 ฿410

-44.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 E£955

$19.97 ฿668

-10.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.01 E£801

$37.91 ฿1,267

-60.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 E£509

$3.76 ฿126

153.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 E£257

$6.71 ฿224

-28.46%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 E£9,988

$464 ฿15.5K

-59.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 E£6,868

$305 ฿10.2K

-57.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 E£28.2K

$915 ฿30.6K

-42.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 E£16.9K

$552 ฿18.5K

-42.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$131 E£6,973

$595 ฿19.9K

-78.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dahab

$169 * 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 41.2% $69

Accommodation & Living

Dahab

$129 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 137% $176

Eating Out

Dahab

$80 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 1% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dahab

$43 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 122% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Dahab

$25 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 109% $27

Getting Around

Dahab

$9.2 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 569% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Dahab

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $187 in Dahab versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 356% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Dahab versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $238 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Dahab

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

4 h ahead of Dahab

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dahab Chiang Mai 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dahab
Chiang Mai

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

Dahab vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 107% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $680 per month in Dahab and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dahab, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 613% less in Dahab. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dahab costs $453 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dahab. 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.