Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ma'an and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ma’an: $835 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ma'an, Jordan
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ma'an
🇯🇴 Jordan
$835
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $835 per month in Ma’an vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ma'an $835
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,381 per month in Ma’an vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ma'an $1,381
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,927 per month in Ma’an vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Ma'an $1,927
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Ma’an is about 11% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ma’an and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ma’an 39% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.03 JOD 4.98
$2.24 ฿75.5
213.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.8 JOD 50.1
$19.00 ฿640
272.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.15 JOD 5.06
$5.55 ฿187
28.83%
Cappuccino
$4.56 JOD 3.23
$1.67 ฿56.4
173.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 JOD 0.45
$0.64 ฿21.51
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 JOD 0.41
$0.31 ฿10.29
87.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.25 JOD 5.84
$2.36 ฿79.5
249.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.99 JOD 7.78
$3.66 ฿123
200.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 JOD 1.19
$1.95 ฿65.7
-13.85%
White Bread (500g)
$0.66 JOD 0.47
$1.44 ฿48.41
-54.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 JOD 1.14
$1.33 ฿44.97
20.30%
Eggs
$2.28 JOD 1.62
$2.28 ฿77.0
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.93 JOD 6.33
$16.45 ฿554
-45.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.31 JOD 4.47
$2.78 ฿93.8
126.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.63 JOD 8.94
$9.31 ฿314
35.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 JOD 1.82
$2.35 ฿79.3
9.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 JOD 1.40
$0.97 ฿32.75
103.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.79 JOD 1.27
$1.60 ฿53.8
11.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.77 JOD 0.55
$1.50 ฿50.6
-48.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.94 JOD 0.67
$1.28 ฿43.06
-26.56%
Onion (1kg)
$0.84 JOD 0.60
$1.10 ฿37.14
-23.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.64 JOD 0.45
$0.71 ฿23.79
-9.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 JOD 0.47
$0.49 ฿16.34
34.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 JOD 2.77
$4.14 ฿140
-5.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.27 JOD 15.06
$17.52 ฿590
21.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.83 JOD 3.42
$1.61 ฿54.4
200.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.03 JOD 3.56
$2.78 ฿93.8
80.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.87 ฿29.27
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,823
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.63 JOD 0.45
$1.16 ฿39.00
-45.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.39 JOD 0.98
$0.53 ฿17.78
162.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.22 JOD 5.11
$2.42 ฿81.6
198.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 JOD 1.25
$1.45 ฿48.82
22.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K JOD 23.1K
$21.1K ฿709.7K
54.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K JOD 24.0K
$26.9K ฿907.9K
25.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$135 JOD 95.6
$62.2 ฿2,095
117.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.65 JOD 11.08
$12.17 ฿410
28.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.19 JOD 22.79
$20.12 ฿678
59.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.31 ฿1,257
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.36 JOD 8.04
$6.49 ฿219
75.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$544 JOD 385
$736 ฿24.8K
-26.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,259 JOD 6,556
$14.8K ฿497.6K
-37.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.6 JOD 45.03
$53.4 ฿1,799
19.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$80.6 JOD 57.1
$24.64 ฿830
227.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 JOD 89.0
$91.5 ฿3,083
37.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.6 JOD 59.2
$71.9 ฿2,424
16.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$482 ฿16.3K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$309 ฿10.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$633 ฿21.3K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,363 ฿79.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ma'an
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
5.57
24.60%

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

Last update for Ma'an: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ma'an
$263
Chiang Mai
$234 10.8% $28
Eating Out
Ma'an
$201
Chiang Mai
$78 61.3% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ma'an
$183
Chiang Mai
$94 48.4% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Ma'an
$159
Chiang Mai
$109 31.7% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Ma'an
$23 *
Chiang Mai
$50 121% $28
Getting Around
Ma'an
$7.6 *
Chiang Mai
$61 712% $54
Accommodation & Living
Ma'an
- *
Chiang Mai
$309

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Ma’an versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇴 Ma'an
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
03:02 3:02 AM
07:02 7:02 AM
4 h ahead of Ma'an
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
50,350
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ma'an Chiang Mai 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ma'an
  • 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
Ma'an vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ma’an or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Ma’an, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ma’an and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,253 per month in Ma’an and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Ma’an and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Ma’an 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 Ma’an or in Chiang Mai?
Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Ma’an or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $835 in Ma’an and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ma’an or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $835 in Ma’an to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Ma'an vs other spots: cost of living compared

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