Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jizan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Jizan and in Chiang Mai: $930 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

Jizan
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$930
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $930 per month in Jizan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Jizan $930
  • Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,530 per month in Jizan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Jizan $1,530
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,131 per month in Jizan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Jizan $2,131
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Jizan is about 1% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Jizan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jizan 31% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.20 SAR 19.53
$2.26 ฿75.4
130.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.15 SAR 139
$19.18 ฿641
93.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.18 SAR 26.92
$5.59 ฿187
28.44%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 SAR 6.34
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 SAR 6.91
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.16 SAR 11.88
$1.72 ฿57.6
83.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 SAR 2.74
$0.64 ฿21.54
14.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 SAR 1.06
$0.33 ฿11.18
-15.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.36 ฿78.7
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.90 ฿130
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.76 SAR 6.61
$2.05 ฿68.6
-14.15%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 SAR 3.53
$1.40 ฿46.70
-32.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 SAR 8.40
$1.28 ฿42.89
75.00%
Eggs
$2.97 SAR 11.15
$2.25 ฿75.3
32.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.95 SAR 29.82
$16.94 ฿566
-53.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.09 SAR 19.08
$2.74 ฿91.6
85.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.87 SAR 55.8
$9.36 ฿313
58.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 SAR 6.98
$2.40 ฿80.3
-22.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 SAR 5.90
$1.01 ฿33.92
55.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 SAR 7.79
$1.61 ฿53.9
29.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.43 SAR 5.35
$1.52 ฿50.7
-5.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.33 SAR 4.99
$1.28 ฿42.90
3.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.43 SAR 5.35
$1.11 ฿37.22
28.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 SAR 4.75
$0.72 ฿24.09
76.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 SAR 2.77
$0.52 ฿17.54
42.31%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.57 SAR 5.89
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 SAR 6.84
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 SAR 5.97
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.50 SAR 24.41
$4.33 ฿145
50.12%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 SAR 4.03
$0.85 ฿28.31
25.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.19 SAR 87.0
$53.9 ฿1,801
-56.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.71 SAR 10.18
$1.17 ฿39.18
131.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.24 SAR 12.15
$0.57 ฿19.00
468.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.88 SAR 59.6
$2.37 ฿79.2
570.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.61 SAR 2.29
$1.45 ฿48.32
-57.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.6K SAR 163.5K
$20.5K ฿684.3K
112.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.6K SAR 65.9K
$26.5K ฿886.1K
-33.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 SAR 388
$62.3 ฿2,083
66.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.07 SAR 139
$12.27 ฿410
202.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.1 SAR 241
$19.97 ฿668
220.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$98.6 SAR 370
$37.91 ฿1,267
159.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$37.70 SAR 141
$3.76 ฿126
902.66%
Cinema Ticket
$16.03 SAR 60.1
$6.71 ฿224
138.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 SAR 749
$797 ฿26.6K
-74.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,125 SAR 15.5K
$14.8K ฿495.7K
-72.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.30 SAR 121
$53.3 ฿1,780
-39.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 SAR 205
$25.05 ฿837
118.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 SAR 450
$91.6 ฿3,062
30.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$46.80 SAR 176
$73.5 ฿2,455
-36.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$262 SAR 982
$464 ฿15.5K
-43.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$132 SAR 494
$305 ฿10.2K
-56.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$475 SAR 1,783
$915 ฿30.6K
-48.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$361 SAR 1,353
$552 ฿18.5K
-34.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$805 SAR 3,019
$1,912 ฿63.9K
-57.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,438 ฿48.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jizan
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,614 SAR 6,057
$595 ฿19.9K
171.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
5.57
-10.23%

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

Last update for Jizan: October 12, 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
Jizan
$205
Chiang Mai
$95 53.8% $110
Groceries & Markets
Jizan
$197
Chiang Mai
$238 21% $41
Accommodation & Living
Jizan
$132
Chiang Mai
$305 131% $173
Sport & Entertainment
Jizan
$131
Chiang Mai
$51 60.7% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Jizan
$114
Chiang Mai
$110 4.1% $4.7
Eating Out
Jizan
$105
Chiang Mai
$79 24.9% $26
Getting Around
Jizan
$46
Chiang Mai
$61 32.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in Jizan 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 171% higher in Jizan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Jizan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Jizan vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Jizan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Jizan
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
01:00 1:00 AM
05:00 5:00 AM
4 h ahead of Jizan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,743
127,240
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jizan Chiang Mai 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jizan
  • 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
Jizan vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Jizan or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Jizan, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Jizan and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,394 per month in Jizan and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Jizan or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Jizan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Jizan and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $199 per month in Jizan and $797 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 Jizan or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 21% 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.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Jizan or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jizan, where all-in costs run around $930, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Jizan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Jizan or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jizan costs $930 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Jizan compared to Chiang Mai?
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.
Should I move to Jizan or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Jizan. 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.

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