Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $504 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$504

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $504 per month in Kabul vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kabul $504
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $683 per month in Kabul vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kabul $683
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $862 per month in Kabul vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kabul $862
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kabul is about 46% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kabul and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kabul 63% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$2.24 ฿75.6

20.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.75 ؋503

$19.00 ฿641

-59.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 ؋304

$5.55 ฿187

-15.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ؋151

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.12 ؋72.4

$1.67 ฿56.5

-32.93%

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

$0.48 ؋31.18

$0.64 ฿21.55

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ؋8.66

$0.31 ฿10.31

-58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 ؋53.3

$1.95 ฿65.8

-57.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.29

$1.44 ฿48.48

-82.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ؋116

$1.33 ฿45.04

34.59%

Eggs

$1.57 ؋102

$2.28 ฿77.1

-31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.39 ؋285

$16.45 ฿555

-73.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ؋252

$2.78 ฿93.9

39.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 ؋433

$9.31 ฿314

-28.25%

Apples (1kg)

$0.68 ؋44.38

$2.35 ฿79.4

-71.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 ؋54.7

$0.97 ฿32.80

-13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ؋61.2

$1.60 ฿53.9

-41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.86

$1.50 ฿50.6

-63.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.30

$1.28 ฿43.12

-52.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.93

$1.10 ฿37.19

-56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.60

$0.71 ฿23.82

-57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ؋25.51

$0.49 ฿16.37

-20.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋48.41

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 ؋68.7

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ؋158

$4.14 ฿140

-41.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ؋10.13

$0.87 ฿29.31

-81.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.62 ؋1,338

$54.1 ฿1,826

-61.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ؋132

$1.16 ฿39.06

75.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 ؋31.22

$0.53 ฿17.80

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 ؋178

$2.42 ฿81.8

13.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋70.1

$1.45 ฿48.90

-25.52%

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

$8,581 ؋556.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

-59.25%

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

$33.9K ؋2.2M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

25.94%

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

$42.52 ؋2,760

$62.2 ฿2,098

-31.61%

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

$13.17 ؋855

$12.17 ฿411

8.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.5 ؋6,198

$20.12 ฿679

374.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.01 ؋714

$37.31 ฿1,259

-70.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 ؋260

$3.77 ฿127

6.37%

Cinema Ticket

$2.29 ؋149

$6.49 ฿219

-64.71%

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

$19.86 ؋1,289

$736 ฿24.8K

-97.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,052 ؋68.2K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-92.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.53 ؋684

$53.4 ฿1,801

-80.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.26 ؋1,055

$24.64 ฿831

-34.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.5 ؋3,796

$91.5 ฿3,087

-36.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.87 ؋1,614

$71.9 ฿2,428

-65.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ؋7,930

$482 ฿16.3K

-74.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 ؋7,169

$309 ฿10.4K

-64.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 ؋14.3K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-78.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,430

$633 ฿21.4K

-81.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$669 ؋43.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-71.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$355 ؋23.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-77.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋22.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

-42.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Kabul: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 30%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.5% $57

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$110 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 180% $198

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$101 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 133% $134

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 50.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$50 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 119% $59

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 139% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 223% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $122 in Kabul 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 74% 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 in Kabul versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $101 vs $234 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 64.9 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.47 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabul Chiang Mai 3,420 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 85% more than Kabul, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $757 per month in Kabul and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kabul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $19.86 per month in Kabul and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 133% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $504 in Kabul and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kabul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kabul. 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.