Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and in Chiang Mai: $953 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $953 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $953
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,433 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,433
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,914
Chiang Mai $1,914

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 29% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 OMR 2.04

$2.26 ฿75.4

134.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 OMR 15.29

$19.18 ฿641

106.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$5.59 ฿187

38.82%

Cappuccino

$4.94 OMR 1.90

$1.72 ฿57.6

187.21%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$0.64 ฿21.54

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.33 ฿11.18

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$2.36 ฿78.7

447.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.93 OMR 4.98

$3.90 ฿130

231.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$2.05 ฿68.6

12.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.40 ฿46.70

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 OMR 0.70

$1.28 ฿42.89

42.19%

Eggs

$3.03 OMR 1.17

$2.25 ฿75.3

34.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$16.94 ฿566

-58.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.70

$2.74 ฿91.6

155.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 OMR 4.07

$9.36 ฿313

13.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 OMR 1.38

$2.40 ฿80.3

49.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$1.01 ฿33.92

100.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 OMR 0.90

$1.61 ฿53.9

45.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 OMR 0.50

$1.52 ฿50.7

-13.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.45

$1.28 ฿42.90

-9.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$1.11 ฿37.22

15.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$0.72 ฿24.09

156.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.52 ฿17.54

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$4.33 ฿145

53.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 OMR 6.07

$17.73 ฿593

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.08 OMR 2.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

273.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.93

$2.85 ฿95.3

258.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 OMR 1.28

$1.17 ฿39.18

183.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.98

$0.57 ฿19.00

349.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 OMR 2.98

$2.37 ฿79.2

226.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.45 ฿48.32

-55.86%

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

$25.3K OMR 9,736

$20.5K ฿684.3K

23.51%

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

$22.3K OMR 8,570

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-16.04%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$62.3 ฿2,083

182.85%

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

$31.16 OMR 12.00

$12.27 ฿410

153.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 OMR 27.51

$19.97 ฿668

257.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 OMR 4.01

$6.71 ฿224

55.44%

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

$292 OMR 112

$797 ฿26.6K

-63.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,033

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-29.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 OMR 21.33

$53.3 ฿1,780

4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 OMR 16.89

$25.05 ฿837

75.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$91.6 ฿3,062

-3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 OMR 34.02

$73.5 ฿2,455

20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$293 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 18.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$279 29.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 66.1% $184

Eating Out

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$220 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 64.1% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 11.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 146% $30

Getting Around

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 280% $45

Accommodation & Living

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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 $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

3 h ahead of Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Chiang Mai 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $1,408 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 $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos at $953. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Madinat As Sultan Qaboos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.