Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lusail and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusail: $753 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Lusail
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Lusail Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lusail

🇶🇦 Qatar

$753

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $753 per month in Lusail vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lusail $753
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,277 per month in Lusail vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lusail $1,277
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,800 per month in Lusail vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lusail $1,800
Chiang Mai $1,999

Lusail is about 20% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lusail and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Lusail 44% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.19 QAR 29.82

$2.13 ฿72.0

284.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 QAR 252

$18.62 ฿628

271.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 QAR 30.47

$5.60 ฿189

49.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 QAR 29.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.60 QAR 34.94

Cappuccino

$5.50 QAR 20.01

$1.66 ฿56.1

231.33%

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

$0.79 QAR 2.86

$0.65 ฿21.82

21.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 QAR 1.03

$0.30 ฿10.29

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 QAR 7.64

$2.02 ฿68.0

3.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 QAR 4.99

$1.41 ฿47.49

-2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 QAR 5.03

$1.39 ฿46.94

-0.72%

Eggs

$3.22 QAR 11.73

$2.37 ฿79.9

35.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 QAR 41.13

$16.52 ฿557

-31.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 QAR 30.78

$2.67 ฿90.1

216.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.51 QAR 41.89

$9.02 ฿304

27.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 QAR 8.22

$2.40 ฿80.9

-5.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 QAR 6.44

$1.04 ฿35.12

70.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 QAR 5.96

$1.66 ฿56.0

-1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 QAR 1.91

$1.56 ฿52.6

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 QAR 1.91

$1.24 ฿41.75

-58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 QAR 1.92

$1.09 ฿36.65

-51.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 QAR 5.26

$0.76 ฿25.70

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 QAR 1.84

$0.51 ฿17.34

-1.96%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.80 QAR 35.69

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 QAR 7.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 QAR 8.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 QAR 24.27

$4.12 ฿139

61.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 QAR 7.12

$1.18 ฿39.69

66.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 QAR 6.85

$0.17 ฿5.78

1005.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.81 QAR 50.3

$1.81 ฿61.1

662.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 QAR 2.13

$1.47 ฿49.67

-59.86%

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

$24.1K QAR 87.8K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

14.71%

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

$21.6K QAR 78.6K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

-18.55%

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

$90.5 QAR 330

$62.6 ฿2,110

44.71%

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

$34.47 QAR 126

$11.60 ฿391

197.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.0 QAR 324

$20.30 ฿685

338.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 QAR 44.80

$6.51 ฿220

88.94%

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

$732 QAR 2,665

$727 ฿24.5K

0.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K QAR 61.3K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

1.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 QAR 228

$53.5 ฿1,806

16.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.66 QAR 177

$24.80 ฿836

96.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 QAR 357

$90.4 ฿3,049

8.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.2 QAR 310

$72.0 ฿2,428

18.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,365 QAR 4,971

$595 ฿20.1K

129.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.57

6.28%

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

Last update for Lusail: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lusail

$214 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.8% $120

Groceries & Markets

Lusail

$209 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 13.1% $27

Eating Out

Lusail

$161 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 52.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Lusail

$133 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 18.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lusail

$25 * 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 107% $26

Getting Around

Lusail

$11 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 416% $47

Accommodation & Living

Lusail

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Lusail are about 2.3 times higher, 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 $69 in Lusail versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $209 in Lusail vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Lusail wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Lusail

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

13:13 1:13 PM

4 h ahead of Lusail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,600

127,240

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.07 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lusail Chiang Mai 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lusail
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 24% more than Lusail, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,129 per month in Lusail and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Lusail and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $753 in Lusail and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lusail costs $753 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.