Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazar-i-Sharif and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $292 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$292

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $292 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $292
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $461 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $461
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $630 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mazar-i-Sharif $630
Chiang Mai $1,903

Mazar-i-Sharif is about 68% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mazar-i-Sharif and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mazar-i-Sharif 78% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.38 ؋154

$2.29 ฿76.5

3.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.47 ؋1,003

$19.64 ฿656

-21.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.01 ؋260

$5.61 ฿188

-28.52%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 ؋489

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 ؋486

Cappuccino

$1.23 ؋79.8

$1.66 ฿55.6

-25.90%

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

$0.57 ؋36.96

$0.70 ฿23.40

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.28

$0.31 ฿10.24

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 ؋42.20

$1.95 ฿65.3

-66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 ؋9.99

$1.41 ฿47.03

-89.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 ؋136

$1.31 ฿43.62

60.31%

Eggs

$1.65 ؋107

$2.18 ฿72.9

-24.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ؋486

$16.65 ฿556

-55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ؋214

$2.76 ฿92.2

19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 ؋395

$9.11 ฿304

-33.15%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ؋38.30

$2.39 ฿80.0

-75.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ؋73.5

$1.03 ฿34.26

9.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 ؋53.2

$1.63 ฿54.4

-49.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.27

$1.50 ฿50.0

-59.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ؋30.46

$1.29 ฿43.13

-63.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ؋24.88

$1.11 ฿37.03

-65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ؋36.54

$0.72 ฿24.08

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ؋20.97

$0.53 ฿17.59

-39.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.86 ؋121

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 ؋102

$4.31 ฿144

-63.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ؋52.2

$0.86 ฿28.86

-5.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ؋98.7

$2.35 ฿78.6

-35.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ؋99.4

$1.44 ฿47.96

6.25%

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

$9,927 ؋643.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-52.11%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$83.3 ؋5,399

$62.3 ฿2,083

33.61%

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

$16.98 ؋1,101

$12.11 ฿405

40.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.53 ؋747

$37.07 ฿1,239

-68.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.87 ؋251

$3.78 ฿126

2.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 ؋304

$6.50 ฿217

-28.00%

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

$76.6 ؋4,967

$793 ฿26.5K

-90.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.93 ؋838

$53.7 ฿1,796

-75.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.48 ؋1,198

$71.1 ฿2,378

-74.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$235 ؋15.2K

$591 ฿19.7K

-60.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mazar-i-Sharif

$105 35.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 125% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazar-i-Sharif

$100 * 34.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 5.9% $5.9

Eating Out

Mazar-i-Sharif

$49 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 59.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 140% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 666% $94

Getting Around

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1788% $58

Accommodation & Living

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 151% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $105 vs $235 – making Mazar-i-Sharif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Mazar-i-Sharif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,600

127,240

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mazar-i-Sharif Chiang Mai 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazar-i-Sharif
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

Mazar-i-Sharif vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 216% more than Mazar-i-Sharif, 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 $439 per month in Mazar-i-Sharif and $1,388 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 $15.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mazar-i-Sharif, where all-in costs run around $292, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Mazar-i-Sharif it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mazar-i-Sharif costs $292 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Mazar-i-Sharif. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.