Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khartoum and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Khartoum: $503 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Khartoum, Sudan
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Khartoum
🇸🇩 Sudan
$503
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $503 per month in Khartoum vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Khartoum $503
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $673 per month in Khartoum vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Khartoum $673
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $843 per month in Khartoum vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Khartoum $843
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.29 SDG 1,370
$2.24 ฿75.6
2.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.94 SDG 8,345
$19.00 ฿641
-26.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.67 SDG 1,597
$5.55 ฿188
-51.89%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.40 SDG 1,439
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 SDG 1,287
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.86 SDG 1,715
$1.67 ฿56.5
71.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 SDG 291
$0.64 ฿21.55
-23.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 SDG 232
$0.31 ฿10.31
25.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.36 ฿79.6
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.66 ฿124
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 SDG 796
$1.95 ฿65.8
-31.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 SDG 821
$1.44 ฿48.49
-4.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 SDG 831
$1.33 ฿45.05
4.51%
Eggs
$3.69 SDG 2,207
$2.28 ฿77.1
61.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$16.45 ฿555
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.34 SDG 2,599
$2.78 ฿93.9
56.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.31 ฿314
-
Apples (1kg)
$4.34 SDG 2,597
$2.35 ฿79.4
84.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 SDG 613
$0.97 ฿32.81
5.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 SDG 913
$1.60 ฿53.9
-4.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 SDG 997
$1.50 ฿50.7
11.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.00 SDG 600
$1.28 ฿43.14
-21.88%
Onion (1kg)
$0.77 SDG 459
$1.10 ฿37.21
-30.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 SDG 342
$0.71 ฿23.83
-19.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 SDG 339
$0.49 ฿16.37
16.33%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$3.96 SDG 2,373
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 SDG 467
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 SDG 1,004
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.86 SDG 1,114
$4.14 ฿140
-55.07%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.71 SDG 426
$0.87 ฿29.32
-18.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,826
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.79 SDG 2,268
$1.16 ฿39.07
226.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.53 ฿17.81
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.02 SDG 3,005
$2.42 ฿81.8
107.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 SDG 688
$1.45 ฿48.91
-20.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$4,966 SDG 3.0M
$21.1K ฿710.9K
-76.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,937 SDG 5.9M
$26.9K ฿909.5K
-63.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.3 SDG 42.1K
$62.2 ฿2,099
13.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.71 SDG 5,809
$12.17 ฿411
-20.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.34 SDG 19.4K
$20.12 ฿679
60.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$7.79 SDG 4,661
$37.31 ฿1,260
-79.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.05 SDG 2,425
$6.49 ฿219
-37.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$113 SDG 67.3K
$736 ฿24.9K
-84.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,744 SDG 1.6M
$14.8K ฿498.4K
-81.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$53.4 ฿1,802
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$8.66 SDG 5,183
$24.64 ฿832
-64.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$91.5 ฿3,088
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$71.9 ฿2,429
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$547 SDG 327.6K
$482 ฿16.3K
13.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$175 SDG 104.7K
$309 ฿10.4K
-43.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,259 SDG 753.4K
$1,006 ฿34.0K
25.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$161 SDG 96.3K
$633 ฿21.4K
-74.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,054 SDG 631.0K
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-55.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,003 SDG 600.4K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-36.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Khartoum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$242 SDG 145.0K
$590 ฿19.9K
-58.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
30
5.57
438.60%

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

Last update for Khartoum: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Khartoum
$175
Chiang Mai
$309 76.6% $134
Groceries & Markets
Khartoum
$125 *
Chiang Mai
$234 87.6% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Khartoum
$112
Chiang Mai
$94 15.9% $18
Eating Out
Khartoum
$64
Chiang Mai
$78 20.9% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Khartoum
$16
Chiang Mai
$50 216% $34
Getting Around
Khartoum
$6.6 *
Chiang Mai
$61 824% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Khartoum
$3.9 *
Chiang Mai
$109 2686% $105

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $547 in Khartoum 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 in Chiang Mai are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Khartoum versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $125 vs $234 – making Khartoum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇩 Khartoum
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
19:09 7:09 PM
00:09 12:09 AM
5 h ahead of Khartoum
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,682,431 Capital
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SDG – Sudanese Pound Converter

Sudanese Pound exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 599 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 669 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.76 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Khartoum Chiang Mai 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Khartoum
  • 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
Khartoum vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Khartoum or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Khartoum, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Khartoum and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $754 per month in Khartoum and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Khartoum or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $547 in Khartoum.
How do dining costs compare in Khartoum and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $14 in Khartoum and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Khartoum or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 88% 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.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Khartoum or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $503 in Khartoum to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Khartoum or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Khartoum. 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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