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

😐 Solo nomad: Dubai is 103% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 232.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Dubai is 112.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 231.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.78 AED 39.55

$2.01 ฿64.5

436.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 AED 294

$18.23 ฿584

339.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 AED 35.21

$7.65 ฿245

25.36%

Cappuccino

$5.45 AED 19.98

$1.92 ฿61.5

183.85%

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

$1.19 AED 4.37

$0.84 ฿26.97

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 AED 3.22

$0.36 ฿11.42

144.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.21 AED 44.80

$2.19 ฿70.2

457.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.63 AED 50.0

$3.79 ฿121

259.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 AED 7.12

$1.64 ฿52.5

18.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.62 ฿52.0

-15.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 AED 8.14

$1.15 ฿36.98

93.04%

Eggs

$3.30 AED 12.13

$1.94 ฿62.2

70.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 AED 37.05

$15.94 ฿511

-36.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 AED 33.75

$3.10 ฿99.5

196.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.90

$11.07 ฿355

15.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 AED 8.59

$2.71 ฿86.8

-13.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 AED 7.11

$1.18 ฿37.80

64.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.71 ฿54.7

11.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.61 ฿51.5

-4.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.39 ฿44.66

-14.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 AED 4.67

$1.15 ฿36.81

10.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 AED 5.32

$0.71 ฿22.83

104.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.52

$0.55 ฿17.65

25.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 AED 23.88

$4.57 ฿146

42.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.19 AED 70.4

$18.87 ฿605

1.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 AED 10.05

$1.82 ฿58.4

50.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 AED 12.64

$3.21 ฿103

7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 AED 5.94

$0.88 ฿28.24

84.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 AED 296

$18.89 ฿606

326.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 AED 11.85

$1.41 ฿45.30

129.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 AED 2.90

$1.30 ฿41.71

-39.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 AED 29.31

$8.20 ฿263

-2.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 AED 2.89

$1.23 ฿39.29

-35.77%

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

$33.1K AED 121.3K

$21.2K ฿678.9K

56.12%

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

$22.6K AED 83.0K

$22.3K ฿715.3K

1.38%

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

$215 AED 788

$69.9 ฿2,240

207.24%

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

$63.5 AED 233

$14.07 ฿451

351.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 AED 369

$17.70 ฿567

467.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.9 AED 315

$41.41 ฿1,328

107.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.94 AED 169

$6.69 ฿215

586.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 AED 55.1

$5.74 ฿184

161.67%

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

$827 AED 3,034

$299 ฿9,593

176.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K AED 52.2K

$15.0K ฿481.2K

-5.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 AED 305

$54.8 ฿1,758

51.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 AED 235

$26.35 ฿845

142.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 AED 419

$84.7 ฿2,714

34.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 AED 453

$69.7 ฿2,236

77.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 AED 8,928

$427 ฿13.7K

469.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 AED 5,708

$241 ฿7,718

546.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,541 AED 16.7K

$811 ฿26.0K

460.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,004 AED 11.0K

$498 ฿16.0K

502.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,123 AED 26.1K

$2,022 ฿64.8K

252.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,087 AED 15.0K

$1,524 ฿48.9K

168.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,901 AED 14.3K

$639 ฿20.5K

510.29%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

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