Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,374 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,374 per month in Jeddah vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jeddah $1,374
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,148 per month in Jeddah vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jeddah $2,148
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,922 per month in Jeddah vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jeddah $2,922
Chiang Mai $1,914

Jeddah costs about 46% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Jeddah sits 2% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 SAR 22.67

$2.26 ฿75.4

167.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 SAR 301

$19.18 ฿641

318.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 SAR 35.65

$5.59 ฿187

69.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 SAR 8.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Cappuccino

$3.73 SAR 13.98

$1.72 ฿57.6

116.86%

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

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$0.64 ฿21.54

51.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.33 ฿11.18

-21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$2.05 ฿68.6

-18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 SAR 4.71

$1.40 ฿46.70

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 SAR 8.76

$1.28 ฿42.89

82.81%

Eggs

$2.43 SAR 9.13

$2.25 ฿75.3

8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.88

$16.94 ฿566

-62.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.30 SAR 31.14

$2.74 ฿91.6

202.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 SAR 49.66

$9.36 ฿313

41.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 SAR 7.98

$2.40 ฿80.3

-11.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.33

$1.01 ฿33.92

67.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.07

$1.61 ฿53.9

0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.32

$1.52 ฿50.7

11.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.22

$1.28 ฿42.90

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.71

$1.11 ฿37.22

13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 SAR 4.01

$0.72 ฿24.09

48.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 1.99

$0.52 ฿17.54

1.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.21 SAR 15.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 SAR 9.36

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 SAR 25.17

$4.33 ฿145

54.97%

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)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$0.85 ฿28.31

12.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 SAR 208

$53.9 ฿1,801

2.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 SAR 11.85

$1.17 ฿39.18

170.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

$0.57 ฿19.00

208.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 SAR 52.2

$2.37 ฿79.2

486.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.45 ฿48.32

-55.86%

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

$47.3K SAR 177.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

130.77%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-17.19%

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

$90.4 SAR 339

$62.3 ฿2,083

45.02%

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

$38.29 SAR 144

$12.27 ฿410

212.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 SAR 255

$19.97 ฿668

240.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.0 SAR 293

$37.91 ฿1,267

105.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.19 SAR 143

$3.76 ฿126

915.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.91 SAR 44.69

$6.71 ฿224

77.50%

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

$769 SAR 2,887

$797 ฿26.6K

-3.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K SAR 62.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

12.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 SAR 272

$53.3 ฿1,780

35.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 SAR 211

$25.05 ฿837

123.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SAR 375

$91.6 ฿3,062

9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 SAR 351

$73.5 ฿2,455

27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 SAR 2,961

$464 ฿15.5K

70.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 SAR 1,998

$305 ฿10.2K

74.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 SAR 5,356

$915 ฿30.6K

55.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$552 ฿18.5K

50.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,767 SAR 6,631

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-7.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,290

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-20.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 SAR 6,248

$595 ฿19.9K

179.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.57

-3.23%

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

Last update for Jeddah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$532 38.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 42.8% $228

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 18.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 51.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$145 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 24.4% $35

Eating Out

Jeddah

$126 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 37.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$102 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 49.6% $50

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 13.9% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Jeddah 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 180% higher in Jeddah, 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 $80.0 in Jeddah versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Jeddah vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

4 h ahead of Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jeddah Chiang Mai 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
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

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

Jeddah costs about 46% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $2,062 per month in Jeddah 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $769 per month in Jeddah and $797 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 18% cheaper in Jeddah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Jeddah at $1,374. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,374 in Jeddah. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jeddah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.