Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Irbid and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Irbid: $769 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Irbid, Jordan
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Irbid
🇯🇴 Jordan
$769
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $769 per month in Irbid vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Irbid $769
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,226 per month in Irbid vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Irbid $1,226
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,683 per month in Irbid vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Irbid $1,683
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Irbid is about 18% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Irbid and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Irbid 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.25 JOD 3.01
$2.24 ฿75.6
89.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.82 JOD 29.61
$19.00 ฿641
120.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.94 JOD 4.91
$5.55 ฿187
25.05%
Cappuccino
$1.45 JOD 1.03
$1.67 ฿56.5
-13.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 JOD 0.32
$0.64 ฿21.55
-28.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 JOD 0.24
$0.31 ฿10.31
9.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.48 JOD 4.58
$2.36 ฿79.6
174.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.94 JOD 4.21
$3.66 ฿124
62.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 JOD 0.84
$1.95 ฿65.8
-39.49%
White Bread (500g)
$0.45 JOD 0.32
$1.44 ฿48.48
-68.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 JOD 1.10
$1.33 ฿45.04
16.54%
Eggs
$1.82 JOD 1.29
$2.28 ฿77.1
-20.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.97 JOD 5.64
$16.45 ฿555
-51.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.56 JOD 3.23
$2.78 ฿93.9
64.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.81 JOD 9.07
$9.31 ฿314
37.59%
Apples (1kg)
$1.38 JOD 0.98
$2.35 ฿79.4
-41.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 JOD 1.07
$0.97 ฿32.80
55.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.04 JOD 0.74
$1.60 ฿53.9
-35.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.62 JOD 0.44
$1.50 ฿50.6
-58.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 JOD 0.62
$1.28 ฿43.12
-31.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.84 JOD 0.60
$1.10 ฿37.19
-23.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 JOD 0.45
$0.71 ฿23.82
-11.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 JOD 0.46
$0.49 ฿16.37
32.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.55 JOD 2.52
$4.14 ฿140
-14.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.01 JOD 4.96
$17.52 ฿591
-59.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 JOD 1.95
$1.61 ฿54.5
70.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.27 JOD 3.02
$2.78 ฿94.0
53.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 JOD 0.48
$0.87 ฿29.31
-21.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,826
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 JOD 0.34
$1.16 ฿39.06
-58.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.43 JOD 1.01
$0.53 ฿17.80
169.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.95 JOD 4.92
$2.42 ฿81.8
187.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 JOD 1.20
$1.45 ฿48.90
16.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K JOD 19.0K
$21.1K ฿710.7K
27.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.4K JOD 22.2K
$26.9K ฿909.3K
16.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.6 JOD 68.4
$62.2 ฿2,098
55.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.44 JOD 10.93
$12.17 ฿411
26.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.36 JOD 22.20
$20.12 ฿679
55.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.59 JOD 24.49
$37.31 ฿1,259
-7.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.08 JOD 14.93
$3.77 ฿127
459.15%
Cinema Ticket
$10.03 JOD 7.10
$6.49 ฿219
54.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.2 JOD 66.7
$736 ฿24.8K
-87.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,011 JOD 2,840
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-72.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.97 JOD 31.84
$53.4 ฿1,801
-15.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.33 JOD 20.06
$24.64 ฿831
14.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 JOD 56.9
$91.5 ฿3,087
-12.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.64 JOD 35.15
$71.9 ฿2,428
-31.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$218 JOD 155
$482 ฿16.3K
-54.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$161 JOD 114
$309 ฿10.4K
-48.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$385 JOD 273
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-61.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$302 JOD 214
$633 ฿21.4K
-52.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$522 JOD 369
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-77.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$507 JOD 359
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-68.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Irbid
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$552 JOD 391
$590 ฿19.9K
-6.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
5.57
24.60%

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

Last update for Irbid: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Irbid
$189
Chiang Mai
$234 23.9% $45
Accommodation & Living
Irbid
$161
Chiang Mai
$309 92.4% $148
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Irbid
$143
Chiang Mai
$94 34.1% $49
Eating Out
Irbid
$120
Chiang Mai
$78 35.2% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Irbid
$92
Chiang Mai
$109 18.7% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Irbid
$55
Chiang Mai
$50 8% $4.4
Getting Around
Irbid
$10 *
Chiang Mai
$61 495% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Irbid 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 7% 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 $42 in Irbid versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Irbid vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Irbid wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇴 Irbid
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
14:38 2:38 PM
18:38 6:38 PM
4 h ahead of Irbid
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
292,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Irbid Chiang Mai 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Irbid
  • 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
Irbid vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Irbid or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Irbid, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 Irbid and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,154 per month in Irbid 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, Irbid or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Irbid, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $218 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Irbid and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Irbid and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Irbid or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Irbid – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Irbid compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Irbid or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Irbid. 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.

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