Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,317 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Dhahran vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhahran $1,317
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,671 per month in Dhahran vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhahran $1,671
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Dhahran vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhahran $2,026
Chiang Mai $1,914

Dhahran costs about 40% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Dhahran and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dhahran 2% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$2.26 ฿75.4

134.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$19.18 ฿641

104.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$5.59 ฿187

13.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$1.72 ฿57.6

133.14%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$0.64 ฿21.54

15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$0.33 ฿11.18

-42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$2.05 ฿68.6

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$1.40 ฿46.70

-30.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$1.28 ฿42.89

53.91%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$2.25 ฿75.3

72.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$16.94 ฿566

-49.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$2.74 ฿91.6

298.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$9.36 ฿313

48.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$2.40 ฿80.3

-10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$1.01 ฿33.92

37.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$1.61 ฿53.9

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$1.52 ฿50.7

18.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.28 ฿42.90

17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$1.11 ฿37.22

-13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$0.72 ฿24.09

173.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$0.52 ฿17.54

63.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$4.33 ฿145

28.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$0.85 ฿28.31

-2.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$1.17 ฿39.18

16.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$0.57 ฿19.00

470.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$2.37 ฿79.2

301.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.45 ฿48.32

-55.17%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

159.94%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-21.97%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$62.3 ฿2,083

-5.33%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$12.27 ฿410

243.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$19.97 ฿668

225.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$37.91 ฿1,267

413.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$3.76 ฿126

2387.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$6.71 ฿224

57.38%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$797 ฿26.6K

-91.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-10.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$53.3 ฿1,780

-5.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$25.05 ฿837

66.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$91.6 ฿3,062

-16.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$73.5 ฿2,455

23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$464 ฿15.5K

-22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$305 ฿10.2K

48.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

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)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$595 ฿19.9K

367.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 32.8% $148

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 2.9% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 76.2% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 43.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 6.3% $7.3

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 30.2% $34

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 193% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Dhahran 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 368% higher in Dhahran, 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 $39.00 in Dhahran versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Dhahran vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Dhahran wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

02:07 2:07 AM

4 h ahead of Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Dhahran
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

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

Dhahran costs about 40% 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 $1,976 per month in Dhahran 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Dhahran and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Dhahran – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Dhahran at $1,317. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dhahran it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,317 in Dhahran. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dhahran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.