Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Kef and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in El Kef: $633 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in El Kef
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El Kef Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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El Kef

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$633

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $633 per month in El Kef vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

El Kef $633
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $976 per month in El Kef vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

El Kef $976
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,320 per month in El Kef vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

El Kef $1,320
Chiang Mai $1,903

El Kef is about 32% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both El Kef and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – El Kef 53% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 TND 16.32

$2.29 ฿76.5

137.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.37 TND 40.03

$19.64 ฿656

-31.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.62 TND 13.85

$5.61 ฿188

-17.65%

Cappuccino

$0.64 TND 1.91

$1.66 ฿55.6

-61.45%

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

$0.48 TND 1.45

$0.70 ฿23.40

-31.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 TND 0.72

$0.31 ฿10.24

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 TND 2.78

$2.41 ฿80.4

-61.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 TND 3.11

$3.71 ฿124

-71.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.44 TND 1.32

$1.95 ฿65.3

-77.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.17 TND 0.51

$1.41 ฿47.03

-87.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 TND 5.35

$1.31 ฿43.62

36.64%

Eggs

$1.44 TND 4.31

$2.18 ฿72.9

-33.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.00 TND 44.92

$16.65 ฿556

-9.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 TND 19.29

$2.76 ฿92.2

133.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 TND 44.98

$9.11 ฿304

64.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 TND 4.81

$2.39 ฿80.0

-32.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 TND 4.98

$1.03 ฿34.26

61.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 TND 2.99

$1.63 ฿54.4

-38.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 TND 1.84

$1.50 ฿50.0

-59.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 TND 1.16

$1.29 ฿43.13

-69.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.15 TND 0.46

$1.11 ฿37.03

-86.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 TND 1.34

$0.72 ฿24.08

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$0.53 ฿17.59

-41.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 TND 9.74

$4.31 ฿144

-24.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 TND 13.11

$17.95 ฿600

-75.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 TND 1.94

$1.58 ฿52.9

-58.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 TND 2.97

$2.84 ฿95.0

-65.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 TND 1.02

$0.86 ฿28.86

-60.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.89 TND 29.63

$53.3 ฿1,780

-81.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 TND 0.86

$1.21 ฿40.29

-76.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$0.57 ฿18.99

-45.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.79 TND 11.35

$2.35 ฿78.6

61.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 TND 2.47

$1.44 ฿47.96

-43.06%

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

$38.8K TND 116.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

87.20%

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

$36.3K TND 108.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

35.45%

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

$26.81 TND 80.3

$62.3 ฿2,083

-56.99%

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

$10.67 TND 31.96

$12.11 ฿405

-11.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.17 TND 42.45

$19.94 ฿666

-28.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.48 TND 82.3

$37.07 ฿1,239

-25.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.36 TND 34.01

$3.78 ฿126

200.53%

Cinema Ticket

$3.40 TND 10.19

$6.50 ฿217

-47.69%

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

$62.4 TND 187

$793 ฿26.5K

-92.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,956 TND 5,857

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-86.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.77 TND 71.2

$53.7 ฿1,796

-55.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.1 TND 204

$24.62 ฿823

176.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.71 TND 119

$90.9 ฿3,036

-56.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 TND 230

$71.1 ฿2,378

7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$189 TND 567

$455 ฿15.2K

-58.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 TND 534

$298 ฿9,954

-40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 TND 1,119

$908 ฿30.4K

-58.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 TND 827

$554 ฿18.5K

-50.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$873 TND 2,615

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-54.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$585 TND 1,753

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-59.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$170 TND 509

$591 ฿19.7K

-71.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for El Kef: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

El Kef

$187 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 25.7% $48

Accommodation & Living

El Kef

$178 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 67.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

El Kef

$94 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 15.4% $14

Eating Out

El Kef

$75 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 5.2% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Kef

$52 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 82.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

El Kef

$34 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 46% $16

Getting Around

El Kef

$13 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 364% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $189 in El Kef versus $455 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 248% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $13.00 in El Kef versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $235 – making El Kef the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 El Kef

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

6 h ahead of El Kef

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,710

127,240

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

El Kef Chiang Mai 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

El Kef
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

El Kef vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than El Kef, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $949 per month in El Kef and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Kef, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $62.4 per month in El Kef and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in El Kef, where all-in costs run around $633, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In El Kef it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. El Kef costs $633 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 El Kef. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.