Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khamis Mushayt and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Khamis Mushayt
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,113
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,113 per month in Khamis Mushayt vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Khamis Mushayt $1,113
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,645 per month in Khamis Mushayt vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Khamis Mushayt $1,645
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,178 per month in Khamis Mushayt vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Khamis Mushayt $2,178
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Khamis Mushayt costs about 19% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Khamis Mushayt and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Khamis Mushayt 18% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.56 SAR 17.11
$2.13 ฿71.7
114.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.11 SAR 121
$18.62 ฿625
72.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 SAR 25.87
$5.60 ฿188
23.04%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.72 SAR 6.47
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 SAR 7.97
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.94 SAR 11.04
$1.66 ฿55.9
77.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 SAR 2.56
$0.65 ฿21.73
4.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 SAR 0.79
$0.30 ฿10.24
-30.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.32 ฿78.0
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.67 ฿123
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 SAR 6.11
$2.02 ฿67.7
-19.31%
White Bread (500g)
$0.39 SAR 1.46
$1.41 ฿47.29
-72.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.28 SAR 12.31
$1.39 ฿46.75
135.97%
Eggs
$2.43 SAR 9.11
$2.37 ฿79.5
2.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.41 SAR 24.06
$16.52 ฿555
-61.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.54 SAR 20.80
$2.67 ฿89.7
107.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.76 SAR 47.89
$9.02 ฿303
41.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.23 SAR 8.35
$2.40 ฿80.6
-7.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 SAR 6.33
$1.04 ฿34.98
62.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 SAR 6.02
$1.66 ฿55.7
-3.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 SAR 6.02
$1.56 ฿52.4
3.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 SAR 4.56
$1.24 ฿41.57
-2.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.31 SAR 4.91
$1.09 ฿36.50
20.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 SAR 4.83
$0.76 ฿25.59
69.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 SAR 1.96
$0.51 ฿17.27
1.96%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.60 SAR 9.76
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 SAR 6.65
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 SAR 8.23
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.81 SAR 25.56
$4.12 ฿138
65.29%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$17.93 ฿602
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.62 ฿54.5
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.82 ฿94.8
-
🚌 Getting Around
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 SAR 3.47
$0.93 ฿31.39
-1.08%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.04 SAR 132
$52.9 ฿1,777
-33.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.69 SAR 10.09
$1.18 ฿39.52
127.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 SAR 7.14
$0.17 ฿5.76
1017.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.69 SAR 51.4
$1.81 ฿60.9
656.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.64 SAR 2.42
$1.47 ฿49.47
-56.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.9K SAR 123.6K
$21.0K ฿705.8K
56.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K SAR 84.3K
$26.5K ฿890.7K
-15.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 SAR 386
$62.6 ฿2,101
64.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.00 SAR 120
$11.60 ฿390
175.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.3 SAR 223
$20.30 ฿682
192.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.6 SAR 291
$37.88 ฿1,272
104.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.70 ฿124
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.30 SAR 49.94
$6.51 ฿219
104.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$443 SAR 1,662
$727 ฿24.4K
-39.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K SAR 38.2K
$16.6K ฿556.7K
-38.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.84 SAR 161
$53.5 ฿1,798
-19.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.1 SAR 233
$24.80 ฿833
150.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 SAR 375
$90.4 ฿3,036
10.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.1 SAR 323
$72.0 ฿2,418
19.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$484 SAR 1,818
$481 ฿16.2K
0.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$355 SAR 1,334
$310 ฿10.4K
14.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$939 SAR 3,524
$1,058 ฿35.5K
-11.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$551 SAR 2,069
$659 ฿22.1K
-16.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,026 SAR 7,606
$2,418 ฿81.2K
-16.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,134 SAR 4,258
$1,609 ฿54.0K
-29.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Khamis Mushayt
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,567 SAR 5,880
$595 ฿20.0K
163.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
5.57
-0.54%

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

Last update for Khamis Mushayt: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Khamis Mushayt
$355
Chiang Mai
$310 12.8% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Khamis Mushayt
$194
Chiang Mai
$94 51.3% $100
Groceries & Markets
Khamis Mushayt
$182
Chiang Mai
$237 30.3% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Khamis Mushayt
$131
Chiang Mai
$108 17.3% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Khamis Mushayt
$104
Chiang Mai
$51 51.2% $53
Eating Out
Khamis Mushayt
$96
Chiang Mai
$77 20.2% $19
Getting Around
Khamis Mushayt
$51
Chiang Mai
$59 15.2% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $484 in Khamis Mushayt versus $481 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 in Khamis Mushayt are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Khamis Mushayt versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $182 in Khamis Mushayt vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Khamis Mushayt wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
08:26 8:26 AM
12:26 12:26 PM
4 h ahead of Khamis Mushayt
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
430,828
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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Khamis Mushayt Chiang Mai 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Khamis Mushayt
  • 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
Khamis Mushayt vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Khamis Mushayt or Chiang Mai?
Khamis Mushayt costs about 19% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Khamis Mushayt and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,670 per month in Khamis Mushayt and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Khamis Mushayt compared to Chiang Mai?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $484 in Khamis Mushayt and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do childcare costs compare in Khamis Mushayt and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $443 per month in Khamis Mushayt and $727 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 Khamis Mushayt or in Chiang Mai?
Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Khamis Mushayt – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $800/month in Khamis Mushayt or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Khamis Mushayt or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Khamis Mushayt 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 Khamis Mushayt or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Khamis Mushayt makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Khamis Mushayt vs other spots: cost of living compared

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