Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 101.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 243.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 119.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 219.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.73 AED 39.37

$2.03 ฿64.3

428.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 AED 302

$18.59 ฿590

342.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.21

$7.48 ฿237

24.60%

Cappuccino

$5.72 AED 21.01

$2.00 ฿63.3

186.00%

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

$1.23 AED 4.53

$0.85 ฿26.87

44.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.43

$0.35 ฿11.15

168.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.21 AED 44.81

$2.21 ฿70.2

452.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.22

$3.76 ฿119

256.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 AED 7.37

$1.72 ฿54.5

16.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.63 ฿51.8

-15.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 AED 8.09

$1.16 ฿36.75

89.66%

Eggs

$3.37 AED 12.38

$1.98 ฿62.8

70.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 AED 37.09

$15.93 ฿505

-36.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 AED 34.81

$3.17 ฿100

199.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 AED 45.78

$10.90 ฿346

14.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 AED 8.78

$2.65 ฿83.9

-9.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$1.22 ฿38.79

60.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 AED 6.84

$1.70 ฿53.8

9.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.49

$1.59 ฿50.4

-5.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 AED 4.34

$1.32 ฿42.00

-10.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 AED 4.78

$1.17 ฿37.07

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$0.68 ฿21.50

110.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.56 ฿17.68

23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 AED 24.50

$4.51 ฿143

48.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 AED 69.3

$19.07 ฿605

-1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.77 ฿56.2

49.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 AED 12.59

$3.18 ฿101

7.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.86

$0.96 ฿30.54

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.0 AED 297

$18.90 ฿599

328.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 AED 11.80

$1.36 ฿43.07

136.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 AED 2.92

$1.35 ฿42.89

-40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 AED 30.40

$8.03 ฿255

3.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 AED 2.75

$1.24 ฿39.43

-39.52%

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

$32.7K AED 120.0K

$21.2K ฿671.3K

54.45%

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

$22.4K AED 82.2K

$21.8K ฿690.1K

2.95%

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

$215 AED 790

$71.2 ฿2,260

202.23%

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

$62.6 AED 230

$14.09 ฿447

344.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 AED 379

$17.47 ฿554

490.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.1 AED 327

$42.07 ฿1,335

111.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.01 AED 173

$6.88 ฿218

583.28%

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 AED 55.6

$5.94 ฿188

154.88%

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

$834 AED 3,062

$307 ฿9,750

171.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K AED 53.1K

$14.8K ฿469.3K

-2.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.7 AED 307

$55.7 ฿1,766

50.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 AED 229

$26.79 ฿850

133.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 AED 411

$83.2 ฿2,640

34.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 AED 448

$70.1 ฿2,224

74.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,390 AED 8,769

$427 ฿13.6K

459.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 AED 5,726

$237 ฿7,521

558.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,546 AED 16.7K

$802 ฿25.4K

467.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,006 AED 11.0K

$503 ฿16.0K

497.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,269 AED 26.7K

$2,061 ฿65.4K

252.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,104 AED 15.1K

$1,533 ฿48.6K

167.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,017 AED 14.7K

$654 ฿20.7K

514.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.49

-10.20%

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

Last update for Dubai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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