Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imbabah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbabah: $383 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Imbabah, Egypt
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Imbabah
🇪🇬 Egypt
$383
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $383 per month in Imbabah vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Imbabah $383
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $627 per month in Imbabah vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Imbabah $627
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $872 per month in Imbabah vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Imbabah $872
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Imbabah is about 59% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Imbabah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Imbabah 72% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.98 E£220
$2.13 ฿72.0
86.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.54 E£970
$18.62 ฿628
-5.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.55 E£251
$5.60 ฿189
-18.75%
Cappuccino
$1.19 E£65.7
$1.66 ฿56.1
-28.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 E£16.71
$0.65 ฿21.82
-53.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.10 E£5.41
$0.30 ฿10.29
-66.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.22 E£67.6
$2.32 ฿78.3
-47.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 E£150
$3.67 ฿124
-26.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.55 E£30.49
$2.02 ฿68.0
-72.77%
White Bread (500g)
$0.15 E£8.48
$1.41 ฿47.49
-89.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.55 E£30.61
$1.39 ฿46.94
-60.43%
Eggs
$1.10 E£60.5
$2.37 ฿79.9
-53.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$1.37 E£75.6
$16.52 ฿557
-91.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.91 E£161
$2.67 ฿90.1
8.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.13 E£339
$9.02 ฿304
-32.04%
Apples (1kg)
$1.44 E£79.7
$2.40 ฿80.9
-40.00%
Banana (1kg)
$0.42 E£23.42
$1.04 ฿35.12
-59.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.37 E£20.67
$1.66 ฿56.0
-77.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.21 E£11.36
$1.56 ฿52.6
-86.54%
Potato (1kg)
$0.23 E£12.63
$1.24 ฿41.75
-81.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.30 E£16.73
$1.09 ฿36.65
-72.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.09 E£5.18
$0.76 ฿25.70
-88.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.19 E£10.71
$0.51 ฿17.34
-62.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.56 E£86.0
$4.12 ฿139
-62.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$1.74 E£96.1
$17.93 ฿605
-90.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 E£64.9
$1.62 ฿54.8
-27.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 E£97.2
$2.82 ฿95.2
-37.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.19 E£10.36
$0.93 ฿31.52
-79.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.10 E£724
$52.9 ฿1,784
-75.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.20 E£11.05
$1.18 ฿39.69
-83.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.15 E£8.47
$0.17 ฿5.78
-11.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.11 E£61.2
$1.81 ฿61.1
-38.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.20 E£11.03
$1.47 ฿49.67
-86.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K E£1.8M
$21.0K ฿708.7K
53.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K E£1.4M
$26.5K ฿894.4K
-7.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$12.32 E£681
$62.6 ฿2,110
-80.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.54 E£361
$11.60 ฿391
-43.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.22 E£676
$20.30 ฿685
-39.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.37 E£849
$37.88 ฿1,278
-59.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.70 ฿125
-
Cinema Ticket
$2.59 E£143
$6.51 ฿220
-60.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$21.66 E£1,197
$727 ฿24.5K
-97.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$904 E£50.0K
$16.6K ฿559.0K
-94.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.43 E£797
$53.5 ฿1,806
-73.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.75 E£981
$24.80 ฿836
-28.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 E£6,583
$90.4 ฿3,049
31.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$53.2 E£2,940
$72.0 ฿2,428
-26.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$127 E£7,018
$481 ฿16.2K
-73.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$71.4 E£3,943
$310 ฿10.5K
-76.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$247 E£13.6K
$1,058 ฿35.7K
-76.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$138 E£7,598
$659 ฿22.2K
-79.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$723 E£39.9K
$2,418 ฿81.5K
-70.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$328 E£18.1K
$1,609 ฿54.3K
-79.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Imbabah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$87.5 E£4,837
$595 ฿20.1K
-85.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
21.33
5.57
282.94%

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

Last update for Imbabah: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Clothing & Footwear
Imbabah
$92
Chiang Mai
$108 17.7% $16
Groceries & Markets
Imbabah
$80
Chiang Mai
$237 197% $157
Eating Out
Imbabah
$73
Chiang Mai
$77 5% $3.7
Accommodation & Living
Imbabah
$71
Chiang Mai
$310 334% $239
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Imbabah
$31
Chiang Mai
$94 204% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Imbabah
$21
Chiang Mai
$51 148% $30
Getting Around
Imbabah
$15
Chiang Mai
$59 296% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $127 in Imbabah versus $481 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 Chiang Mai are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Imbabah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $80 vs $237 – making Imbabah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Imbabah
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
04:55 4:55 AM
09:55 9:55 AM
5 h ahead of Imbabah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 55.26 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.8 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Imbabah Chiang Mai 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Imbabah
  • 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
Imbabah vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Imbabah or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Imbabah, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Imbabah and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $574 per month in Imbabah and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Imbabah or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Imbabah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Imbabah and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $22 per month in Imbabah and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Imbabah or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 196% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Imbabah or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $383 in Imbabah and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Imbabah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Imbabah or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Imbabah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Imbabah vs other spots: cost of living compared

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