Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha'il and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,044 in Ha’il, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
Learn more

Ha'il Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,044

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,044 per month in Ha’il vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ha'il $1,044
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,587 per month in Ha’il vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ha'il $1,587
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,131 per month in Ha’il vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ha'il $2,131
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ha’il costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ha’il and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ha’il 23% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.16 SAR 19.35

$2.24 ฿75.7

130.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.12 SAR 139

$19.00 ฿642

95.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 SAR 22.89

$5.55 ฿188

9.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 SAR 4.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 SAR 8.35

Cappuccino

$2.59 SAR 9.72

$1.67 ฿56.6

55.09%

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

$0.58 SAR 2.16

$0.64 ฿21.56

-9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.31 ฿10.32

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

$1.95 ฿65.8

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 SAR 3.00

$1.44 ฿48.51

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 SAR 7.04

$1.33 ฿45.07

41.35%

Eggs

$1.89 SAR 7.11

$2.28 ฿77.1

-17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.63 SAR 24.87

$16.45 ฿556

-59.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 SAR 33.25

$2.78 ฿94.0

218.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.61 SAR 32.31

$9.31 ฿314

-7.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

$2.35 ฿79.5

-35.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 SAR 5.66

$0.97 ฿32.82

55.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 SAR 4.67

$1.60 ฿53.9

-22.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 SAR 7.31

$1.50 ฿50.7

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.09

$1.28 ฿43.15

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.85

$1.10 ฿37.22

41.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 SAR 4.73

$0.71 ฿23.84

77.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 SAR 1.65

$0.49 ฿16.38

-10.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.89 SAR 10.86

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 SAR 7.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.46 SAR 24.22

$4.14 ฿140

56.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.89

$0.87 ฿29.33

19.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.81 SAR 138

$54.1 ฿1,827

-31.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$1.16 ฿39.08

125.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 SAR 6.77

$0.53 ฿17.82

239.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.19 SAR 49.49

$2.42 ฿81.8

445.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.37

$1.45 ฿48.93

-56.55%

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

$29.2K SAR 109.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

38.59%

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

$21.9K SAR 82.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-18.66%

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

$52.6 SAR 198

$62.2 ฿2,100

-15.33%

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

$21.49 SAR 80.6

$12.17 ฿411

76.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.62 SAR 175

$20.12 ฿680

131.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 SAR 254

$37.31 ฿1,260

81.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.34 SAR 98.9

$3.77 ฿127

598.67%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 SAR 55.0

$6.49 ฿219

125.58%

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

$413 SAR 1,549

$736 ฿24.9K

-43.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,021 SAR 30.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-45.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.98 SAR 161

$53.4 ฿1,802

-19.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 SAR 205

$24.64 ฿832

121.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 SAR 355

$91.5 ฿3,089

3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 SAR 329

$71.9 ฿2,429

21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 SAR 912

$482 ฿16.3K

-49.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 SAR 1,406

$309 ฿10.4K

21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 SAR 1,327

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-64.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 SAR 2,136

$633 ฿21.4K

-10.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,368 SAR 8,886

$2,363 ฿79.8K

0.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,388 SAR 5,210

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-12.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,082 SAR 4,058

$590 ฿19.9K

83.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.57

-0.54%

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

Last update for Ha'il: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ha'il

$375 35.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 17.6% $66

Groceries & Markets

Ha'il

$179 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Ha'il

$126 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 13.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha'il

$121 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 21.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ha'il

$97 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 48.1% $47

Eating Out

Ha'il

$94 9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 17.5% $16

Getting Around

Ha'il

$53 5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.7% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ha’il 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 run about 83% higher in Ha’il. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Ha’il versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $179 in Ha’il vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Ha’il wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

4 h ahead of Ha'il

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,897

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ha'il Chiang Mai 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ha'il
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

Ha'il vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha’il costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,566 per month in Ha’il 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 Ha’il, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $413 per month in Ha’il and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Ha’il – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,044 in Ha’il 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 $1,044 in Ha’il. 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, Ha’il makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.