Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fujairah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,437 in Fujairah, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
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Fujairah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,437

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,437 per month in Fujairah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fujairah $1,437
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,976 per month in Fujairah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fujairah $3,976
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $6,516 per month in Fujairah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fujairah $6,516
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fujairah costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fujairah sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.55 AED 27.73

$2.24 ฿75.6

237.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 AED 152

$19.00 ฿641

117.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.70 AED 28.28

$5.55 ฿187

38.74%

Cappuccino

$5.70 AED 20.94

$1.67 ฿56.5

241.32%

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

$1.09 AED 4.00

$0.64 ฿21.55

70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 AED 1.56

$0.31 ฿10.31

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.64 AED 31.73

$2.36 ฿79.6

266.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.41 AED 34.58

$3.66 ฿124

157.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 AED 6.00

$1.95 ฿65.8

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 AED 4.88

$1.44 ฿48.48

-7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.19

$1.33 ฿45.04

47.37%

Eggs

$2.29 AED 8.42

$2.28 ฿77.1

0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 AED 46.83

$16.45 ฿555

-22.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 AED 35.43

$2.78 ฿93.9

247.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.07 AED 29.65

$9.31 ฿314

-13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$2.35 ฿79.4

-22.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 AED 5.89

$0.97 ฿32.80

64.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 AED 5.47

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.38

$1.50 ฿50.6

-38.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 AED 2.91

$1.28 ฿43.12

-38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 AED 3.20

$1.10 ฿37.19

-20.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 AED 3.09

$0.71 ฿23.82

18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 AED 1.58

$0.49 ฿16.37

-12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.53 AED 20.32

$4.14 ฿140

33.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 AED 49.93

$17.52 ฿591

-22.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 AED 8.20

$1.61 ฿54.5

38.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 AED 9.22

$2.78 ฿94.0

-9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.35 AED 12.32

$0.87 ฿29.31

285.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.02 AED 151

$54.1 ฿1,826

-24.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 AED 10.27

$1.16 ฿39.06

141.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 AED 1.90

$0.53 ฿17.80

-1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 AED 30.81

$2.42 ฿81.8

246.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 AED 3.18

$1.45 ฿48.90

-40.00%

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

$25.6K AED 94.2K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

21.80%

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

$19.8K AED 72.8K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-26.38%

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

$122 AED 448

$62.2 ฿2,098

96.19%

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

$39.31 AED 144

$12.17 ฿411

223.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 AED 293

$20.12 ฿679

295.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.45 AED 178

$37.31 ฿1,259

29.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.59 AED 49.90

$3.77 ฿127

260.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 AED 39.43

$6.49 ฿219

65.49%

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

$252 AED 926

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,571 AED 16.8K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-69.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.13 AED 81.3

$53.4 ฿1,801

-58.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.48 AED 49.52

$24.64 ฿831

-45.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 AED 274

$91.5 ฿3,087

-18.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.0 AED 228

$71.9 ฿2,428

-13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 AED 2,158

$482 ฿16.3K

21.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 AED 1,932

$309 ฿10.4K

70.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,279 AED 19.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

424.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,603 AED 16.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

626.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 AED 13.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

531.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.5

5.57

-55.12%

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

Last update for Fujairah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fujairah

$526 36.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 41.3% $217

Groceries & Markets

Fujairah

$243 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 3.4% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fujairah

$241 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.8% $146

Eating Out

Fujairah

$220 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.7% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Fujairah

$77 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 40.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Fujairah

$70 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 28.1% $20

Getting Around

Fujairah

$60 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $588 in Fujairah 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 Fujairah are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Fujairah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

3 h ahead of Fujairah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,673

127,240

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fujairah Chiang Mai 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Fujairah
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

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

Fujairah costs about 54% 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 $2,155 per month in Fujairah 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 $588 in Fujairah.

Kindergarten costs $252 per month in Fujairah and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Fujairah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,437 in Fujairah 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 $1,437 in Fujairah. 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, Fujairah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.