Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $501 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$501

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $501 per month in Jalalabad vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jalalabad $501
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $684 per month in Jalalabad vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jalalabad $684
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $868 per month in Jalalabad vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jalalabad $868
Chiang Mai $1,914

Jalalabad is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Jalalabad and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jalalabad 63% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ؋146

$2.26 ฿75.4

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.56 ؋490

$19.18 ฿641

-60.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ؋246

$5.59 ฿187

-32.02%

Cappuccino

$0.75 ؋48.49

$1.72 ฿57.6

-56.40%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 ؋56.9

$2.05 ฿68.6

-57.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ؋23.66

$1.40 ฿46.70

-73.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 ؋122

$1.28 ฿42.89

47.66%

Eggs

$1.69 ؋110

$2.25 ฿75.3

-24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 ؋359

$16.94 ฿566

-67.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ؋175

$2.74 ฿91.6

-1.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.20 ؋402

$9.36 ฿313

-33.76%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.26

$2.40 ฿80.3

-74.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.08

$1.01 ฿33.92

-35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 ؋51.1

$1.61 ฿53.9

-50.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.89

$1.52 ฿50.7

-68.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ؋25.38

$1.28 ฿42.90

-69.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 ؋19.38

$1.11 ฿37.22

-72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ؋21.06

$0.72 ฿24.09

-55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.42

$0.52 ฿17.54

-42.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.90 ؋253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ؋71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 ؋151

$4.33 ฿145

-46.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.72

$0.85 ฿28.31

-84.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.98 ؋712

$53.9 ฿1,801

-79.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ؋48.74

$1.17 ฿39.18

-35.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ؋28.35

$0.57 ฿19.00

-22.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ؋101

$2.37 ฿79.2

-34.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.9

$1.45 ฿48.32

-23.45%

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

$8,453 ؋548.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-58.71%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$23.42 ؋1,518

$62.3 ฿2,083

-62.43%

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

$12.27 ฿410

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$233 ؋15.1K

$19.97 ฿668

1066.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.62 ؋494

$37.91 ฿1,267

-79.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.76 ؋308

$3.76 ฿126

26.60%

Cinema Ticket

$1.56 ؋101

$6.71 ฿224

-76.75%

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

$15.22 ؋987

$797 ฿26.6K

-98.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,222 ؋79.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-91.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.51 ؋1,200

$53.3 ฿1,780

-65.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.27 ؋990

$25.05 ฿837

-39.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.21 ؋1,505

$91.6 ฿3,062

-74.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.36 ؋1,968

$73.5 ฿2,455

-58.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,396

$464 ฿15.5K

-75.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.83 ؋3,036

$305 ฿10.2K

-84.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ؋14.9K

$915 ฿30.6K

-74.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ؋8,000

$552 ฿18.5K

-77.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$468 ؋30.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-75.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ؋15.1K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-83.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 ؋11.9K

$595 ฿19.9K

-69.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

5.57

149.19%

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

Last update for Jalalabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jalalabad

$256 * 51.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 63.1% $162

Groceries & Markets

Jalalabad

$95 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 152% $143

Accommodation & Living

Jalalabad

$47 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 551% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Jalalabad

$39 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 179% $70

Eating Out

Jalalabad

$38 * 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 106% $41

Getting Around

Jalalabad

$14 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 324% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Jalalabad

$11 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 378% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Jalalabad versus $464 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 225% 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 $8.00 in Jalalabad versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $95.0 vs $238 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Jalalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,600

127,240

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jalalabad Chiang Mai 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jalalabad
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 87% more than Jalalabad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $751 per month in Jalalabad and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $15.22 per month in Jalalabad and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 152% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Jalalabad 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. Jalalabad costs $501 versus $938 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 Jalalabad. 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.