Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dammam and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,226 in Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
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Dammam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dammam 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 Dammam and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,226 per month in Dammam vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dammam $1,226
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,857 per month in Dammam vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dammam $1,857
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,488 per month in Dammam vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dammam $2,488
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dammam costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Dammam and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dammam 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.49 SAR 24.35

$2.24 ฿75.7

189.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.23 SAR 147

$19.00 ฿642

106.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 SAR 29.21

$5.55 ฿188

40.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Cappuccino

$3.71 SAR 13.94

$1.67 ฿56.6

122.16%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.02

$0.64 ฿21.56

26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.04

$0.31 ฿10.32

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.95 ฿65.8

-11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.44 ฿48.51

-27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.71

$1.33 ฿45.07

74.44%

Eggs

$2.54 SAR 9.52

$2.28 ฿77.1

11.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 SAR 25.48

$16.45 ฿556

-58.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 SAR 27.55

$2.78 ฿94.0

164.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 SAR 48.52

$9.31 ฿314

38.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 SAR 8.85

$2.35 ฿79.5

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$0.97 ฿32.82

64.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

$1.60 ฿53.9

1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.50 ฿50.7

8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SAR 4.67

$1.28 ฿43.15

-2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

$1.10 ฿37.22

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$0.71 ฿23.84

90.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$0.49 ฿16.38

20.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.62

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 SAR 27.23

$4.14 ฿140

75.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

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)

$1.04 SAR 3.90

$0.87 ฿29.33

19.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.52 SAR 152

$54.1 ฿1,827

-25.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$1.16 ฿39.08

125.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 SAR 7.10

$0.53 ฿17.82

256.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.55 SAR 50.8

$2.42 ฿81.8

459.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.45 ฿48.93

-55.17%

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

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

28.86%

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

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-13.21%

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

$105 SAR 395

$62.2 ฿2,100

69.37%

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

$33.70 SAR 126

$12.17 ฿411

176.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 SAR 271

$20.12 ฿680

258.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 SAR 354

$37.31 ฿1,260

153.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 SAR 139

$3.77 ฿127

880.37%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 SAR 54.8

$6.49 ฿219

125.12%

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

$346 SAR 1,299

$736 ฿24.9K

-52.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-48.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 SAR 210

$53.4 ฿1,802

5.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 SAR 236

$24.64 ฿832

155.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 SAR 315

$91.5 ฿3,089

-8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 SAR 305

$71.9 ฿2,429

12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 SAR 1,652

$482 ฿16.3K

-8.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 SAR 1,441

$309 ฿10.4K

24.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 SAR 3,337

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-11.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 SAR 2,352

$633 ฿21.4K

-1.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 SAR 6,708

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-24.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 SAR 4,025

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-32.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

5.57

-20.65%

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

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dammam

$384 31.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 19.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dammam

$211 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.3% $117

Groceries & Markets

Dammam

$198 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Dammam

$128 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 15.1% $19

Eating Out

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 37.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 59.3% $73

Getting Around

Dammam

$57 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 8.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $440 in Dammam versus $482 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Dammam versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Dammam vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Dammam wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dammam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

4 h ahead of Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dammam Chiang Mai 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dammam
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

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

Dammam costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,839 per month in Dammam and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $440 in Dammam and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $346 per month in Dammam and $736 in Chiang Mai. 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 Dammam – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,226 in Dammam and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,226 in Dammam. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.