Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dukhan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,658 in Dukhan, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Dukhan
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Dukhan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dukhan

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,658

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,658 per month in Dukhan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dukhan $1,658
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,307 per month in Dukhan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dukhan $2,307
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,956 per month in Dukhan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dukhan $2,956
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dukhan costs about 77% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dukhan sits 22% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.82 QAR 35.76

$2.24 ฿75.5

338.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 QAR 253

$19.00 ฿640

265.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 QAR 28.92

$5.55 ฿187

43.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.45 QAR 45.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.70 QAR 49.88

Cappuccino

$5.74 QAR 20.91

$1.67 ฿56.4

243.71%

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

$0.95 QAR 3.44

$0.64 ฿21.51

48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 QAR 1.48

$0.31 ฿10.29

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 QAR 7.46

$1.95 ฿65.7

5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 QAR 4.99

$1.44 ฿48.41

-4.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 QAR 7.02

$1.33 ฿44.97

45.11%

Eggs

$3.50 QAR 12.73

$2.28 ฿77.0

53.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 QAR 41.52

$16.45 ฿554

-30.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 QAR 27.80

$2.78 ฿93.8

174.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 QAR 40.87

$9.31 ฿314

20.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 QAR 8.24

$2.35 ฿79.3

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 QAR 6.59

$0.97 ฿32.75

86.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 QAR 5.75

$1.60 ฿53.8

-1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 QAR 4.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

-19.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 QAR 3.59

$1.28 ฿43.06

-22.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 QAR 3.65

$1.10 ฿37.14

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 QAR 5.08

$0.71 ฿23.79

97.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 QAR 1.87

$0.49 ฿16.34

4.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.35 QAR 34.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 QAR 6.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 QAR 8.20

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 QAR 23.32

$4.14 ฿140

54.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 QAR 7.17

$1.16 ฿39.00

69.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 QAR 7.58

$0.53 ฿17.78

292.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.59 QAR 49.45

$2.42 ฿81.6

461.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 QAR 2.02

$1.45 ฿48.82

-62.07%

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

$24.2K QAR 88.1K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

14.97%

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

$21.7K QAR 79.1K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-19.37%

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

$85.5 QAR 311

$62.2 ฿2,095

37.46%

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

$33.84 QAR 123

$12.17 ฿410

178.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.0 QAR 313

$20.12 ฿678

327.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 QAR 45.64

$6.49 ฿219

93.22%

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

$676 QAR 2,461

$736 ฿24.8K

-8.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,535 QAR 34.7K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-35.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 QAR 224

$53.4 ฿1,799

15.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 QAR 199

$24.64 ฿830

122.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 QAR 358

$91.5 ฿3,083

7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.4 QAR 307

$71.9 ฿2,424

17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 QAR 4,961

$482 ฿16.3K

182.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 QAR 3,241

$309 ฿10.4K

188.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 QAR 6,109

$1,006 ฿33.9K

66.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 QAR 4,044

$633 ฿21.3K

75.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,157 QAR 15.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

604.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.57

6.28%

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

Last update for Dukhan: 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

Dukhan

$890 53.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 65.3% $581

Groceries & Markets

Dukhan

$213 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dukhan

$205 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54% $111

Eating Out

Dukhan

$177 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 56.1% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Dukhan

$135 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 19.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Dukhan

$25 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 101% $25

Getting Around

Dukhan

$12 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 396% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,363 in Dukhan 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.

Salaries in Dukhan are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Dukhan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $213 in Dukhan vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Dukhan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Dukhan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

4 h ahead of Dukhan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dukhan Chiang Mai 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dukhan
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

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

Dukhan costs about 77% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,487 per month in Dukhan and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,363 in Dukhan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Dukhan and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Dukhan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,658 in Dukhan and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,658 in Dukhan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dukhan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.