Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between M'Sila and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in M’Sila: $461 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in M'Sila
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M'Sila Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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M'Sila

🇩🇿 Algeria

$461

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $461 per month in M’Sila vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

M'Sila $461
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $758 per month in M’Sila vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

M'Sila $758
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,055 per month in M’Sila vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

M'Sila $1,055
Chiang Mai $1,999

M’Sila is about 51% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both M’Sila and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – M’Sila 66% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.85 DZD 251

$2.13 ฿71.7

-13.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.47 DZD 2,499

$18.62 ฿625

-0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 DZD 505

$5.60 ฿188

-33.39%

Cappuccino

$0.37 DZD 49.82

$1.66 ฿55.9

-77.71%

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

$0.50 DZD 68.2

$0.65 ฿21.73

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 DZD 23.67

$0.30 ฿10.24

-43.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 DZD 311

$2.32 ฿78.0

-0.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 DZD 309

$3.67 ฿123

-37.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 DZD 117

$2.02 ฿67.7

-57.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.12 DZD 16.06

$1.41 ฿47.29

-91.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 DZD 156

$1.39 ฿46.75

-17.27%

Eggs

$1.23 DZD 167

$2.37 ฿79.5

-48.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.94 DZD 398

$16.52 ฿555

-82.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.90 DZD 528

$2.67 ฿89.7

46.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.91 DZD 1,205

$9.02 ฿303

-1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 DZD 272

$2.40 ฿80.6

-16.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 DZD 375

$1.04 ฿34.98

166.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 DZD 150

$1.66 ฿55.7

-33.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 DZD 76.1

$1.56 ฿52.4

-64.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 DZD 63.6

$1.24 ฿41.57

-62.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.28 DZD 37.68

$1.09 ฿36.50

-74.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.13 DZD 16.97

$0.76 ฿25.59

-82.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 DZD 33.53

$0.51 ฿17.27

-50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 DZD 372

$4.12 ฿138

-33.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 DZD 894

$17.93 ฿602

-63.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 DZD 171

$1.62 ฿54.5

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 DZD 254

$2.82 ฿94.8

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 DZD 32.63

$0.93 ฿31.39

-74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.80 DZD 920

$52.9 ฿1,777

-87.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 DZD 79.1

$1.18 ฿39.52

-50.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 DZD 59.1

$0.17 ฿5.76

158.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 DZD 740

$1.81 ฿60.9

202.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 DZD 44.72

$1.47 ฿49.47

-77.55%

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

$34.6K DZD 4.7M

$21.0K ฿705.8K

64.89%

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

$34.5K DZD 4.7M

$26.5K ฿890.7K

30.13%

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

$23.08 DZD 3,122

$62.6 ฿2,101

-63.11%

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

$7.74 DZD 1,046

$11.60 ฿390

-33.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.46 DZD 1,686

$20.30 ฿682

-38.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.73 DZD 3,075

$37.88 ฿1,272

-39.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 DZD 609

$6.51 ฿219

-30.88%

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

$115 DZD 15.5K

$727 ฿24.4K

-84.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,386 DZD 863.8K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-61.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.36 DZD 4,378

$53.5 ฿1,798

-39.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 DZD 4,768

$24.80 ฿833

42.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 DZD 9,402

$90.4 ฿3,036

-23.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 DZD 10.8K

$72.0 ฿2,418

10.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$147 DZD 19.8K

$481 ฿16.2K

-69.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.7 DZD 12.4K

$310 ฿10.4K

-70.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 DZD 37.2K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 DZD 26.6K

$659 ฿22.1K

-70.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$984 DZD 133.0K

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-59.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$616 DZD 83.3K

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-61.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$240 DZD 32.5K

$595 ฿20.0K

-59.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

5.57

-4.85%

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

Last update for M'Sila: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

M'Sila

$137 29.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 72.6% $100

Clothing & Footwear

M'Sila

$98 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 11% $11

Accommodation & Living

M'Sila

$92 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 238% $218

Eating Out

M'Sila

$49 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 55.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

M'Sila

$43 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 118% $51

Sport & Entertainment

M'Sila

$32 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 60.4% $19

Getting Around

M'Sila

$11 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 457% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $147 in M’Sila 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 Chiang Mai are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in M’Sila versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $237 – making M’Sila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇿 M'Sila

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

15:01 3:01 PM

6 h ahead of M'Sila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,647

127,240

💱 Currency

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.58 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DZD – Algerian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇿 Algerian Dinar (د.ج)

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.58 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to DZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

M'Sila Chiang Mai 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

M'Sila
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

M'Sila vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 103% more than M’Sila, 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 $692 per month in M’Sila 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 M’Sila, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $147 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $115 per month in M’Sila and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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

If budget matters most, go with M’Sila. 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.