Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madaba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Madaba: $767 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Madaba
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Madaba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Madaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$767

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $767 per month in Madaba vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madaba $767
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,355 per month in Madaba vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madaba $1,355
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,943 per month in Madaba vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madaba $1,943
Chiang Mai $1,999

Madaba is about 18% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Madaba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Madaba 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.81 JOD 4.11

$2.13 ฿71.2

172.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 JOD 35.52

$18.62 ฿622

169.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.21 JOD 4.40

$5.60 ฿187

10.89%

Cappuccino

$3.50 JOD 2.48

$1.66 ฿55.5

110.84%

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

$0.63 JOD 0.45

$0.65 ฿21.59

-3.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 JOD 0.41

$0.30 ฿10.18

90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.29 JOD 3.04

$2.32 ฿77.5

84.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 JOD 4.88

$3.67 ฿122

88.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 JOD 0.99

$2.02 ฿67.3

-31.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 JOD 0.49

$1.41 ฿47.00

-50.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 JOD 1.08

$1.39 ฿46.46

9.35%

Eggs

$1.67 JOD 1.18

$2.37 ฿79.0

-29.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 JOD 3.06

$16.52 ฿551

-73.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 JOD 4.05

$2.67 ฿89.1

114.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 JOD 9.04

$9.02 ฿301

41.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 JOD 1.82

$2.40 ฿80.1

7.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 JOD 0.98

$1.04 ฿34.76

33.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 JOD 1.26

$1.66 ฿55.4

7.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 JOD 0.49

$1.56 ฿52.0

-55.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 JOD 0.51

$1.24 ฿41.31

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$1.09 ฿36.27

-36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.36 JOD 0.26

$0.76 ฿25.43

-52.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 JOD 0.41

$0.51 ฿17.16

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 JOD 1.46

$4.12 ฿138

-49.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.75 JOD 14.69

$17.93 ฿598

15.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.95 JOD 3.50

$1.62 ฿54.2

205.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 JOD 3.60

$2.82 ฿94.2

80.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 JOD 0.63

$0.93 ฿31.19

-5.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 JOD 50.0

$52.9 ฿1,766

33.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 JOD 0.41

$1.18 ฿39.28

-50.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$0.17 ฿5.72

747.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.93 JOD 4.91

$1.81 ฿60.5

282.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.47 ฿49.16

-2.72%

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

$32.8K JOD 23.2K

$21.0K ฿701.4K

55.96%

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

$33.6K JOD 23.8K

$26.5K ฿885.1K

26.64%

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

$69.4 JOD 49.08

$62.6 ฿2,088

10.85%

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

$14.01 JOD 9.92

$11.60 ฿387

20.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.40 JOD 15.15

$20.30 ฿678

5.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.90 JOD 19.75

$37.88 ฿1,264

-26.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$70.0 JOD 49.54

$3.70 ฿123

1791.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 JOD 8.13

$6.51 ฿217

76.34%

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

$42.29 JOD 29.94

$727 ฿24.3K

-94.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,271 JOD 6,562

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-44.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 JOD 45.06

$53.5 ฿1,787

18.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 JOD 40.17

$24.80 ฿828

128.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 JOD 49.97

$90.4 ฿3,017

-21.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.72 JOD 30.24

$72.0 ฿2,402

-40.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 JOD 152

$481 ฿16.1K

-55.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$43.02 JOD 30.45

$310 ฿10.3K

-86.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 JOD 298

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-60.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 JOD 150

$659 ฿22.0K

-67.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 JOD 344

$595 ฿19.9K

-18.19%

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 Madaba: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madaba

$234 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 1.2% $2.9

Eating Out

Madaba

$147 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 48% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Madaba

$105 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 3% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madaba

$105 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 9.8% $10

Getting Around

Madaba

$82 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 28.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Madaba

$51 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 0.1% $0

Accommodation & Living

Madaba

$43 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 620% $267

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $214 in Madaba 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 run about 22% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Madaba versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Madaba vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Madaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Madaba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

4 h ahead of Madaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.795 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madaba Chiang Mai 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Madaba
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Madaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,150 per month in Madaba 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 Madaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $214 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Madaba and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

If budget matters most, go with Madaba. 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.