Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mecca and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living costs are similar in Mecca and in Chiang Mai: $936 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
Learn more

Mecca Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Mecca vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mecca $936
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,453 per month in Mecca vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mecca $1,453
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,970 per month in Mecca vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mecca $1,970
Chiang Mai $1,914

Mecca and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Mecca and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mecca 31% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 SAR 17.14

$2.26 ฿75.4

102.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.89 SAR 101

$19.18 ฿641

40.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 SAR 26.52

$5.59 ฿187

26.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

Cappuccino

$2.61 SAR 9.79

$1.72 ฿57.6

51.74%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.51

$0.64 ฿21.54

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$0.33 ฿11.18

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$2.05 ฿68.6

-14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 SAR 3.85

$1.40 ฿46.70

-26.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

$1.28 ฿42.89

64.84%

Eggs

$2.52 SAR 9.46

$2.25 ฿75.3

12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.92 SAR 22.20

$16.94 ฿566

-65.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 SAR 30.33

$2.74 ฿91.6

194.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 SAR 48.59

$9.36 ฿313

38.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$2.40 ฿80.3

-12.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.01 ฿33.92

56.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.61 ฿53.9

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$1.52 ฿50.7

-3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.28 ฿42.90

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.11 ฿37.22

17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$0.72 ฿24.09

45.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.86

$0.52 ฿17.54

-3.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$4.33 ฿145

57.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 SAR 5.03

$0.85 ฿28.31

57.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

$1.17 ฿39.18

107.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$0.57 ฿19.00

207.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.15 SAR 49.33

$2.37 ฿79.2

454.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$1.45 ฿48.32

-56.55%

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

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

131.91%

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

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-20.32%

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

$66.9 SAR 251

$62.3 ฿2,083

7.27%

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

$35.35 SAR 133

$12.27 ฿410

188.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 SAR 237

$19.97 ฿668

216.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 SAR 303

$37.91 ฿1,267

112.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.52 SAR 160

$3.76 ฿126

1030.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 SAR 44.88

$6.71 ฿224

78.24%

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

$775 SAR 2,907

$797 ฿26.6K

-2.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

9.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.57 SAR 50.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

-74.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 SAR 214

$25.05 ฿837

127.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.67 SAR 149

$91.6 ฿3,062

-56.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 SAR 200

$73.5 ฿2,455

-27.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 SAR 2,001

$464 ฿15.5K

14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 SAR 1,088

$305 ฿10.2K

-4.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SAR 3,114

$915 ฿30.6K

-9.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 SAR 1,963

$552 ฿18.5K

-5.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

233.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 SAR 8,624

$1,438 ฿48.1K

59.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,083 SAR 4,063

$595 ฿19.9K

81.92%

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 Mecca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mecca

$290 31%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 5% $15

Groceries & Markets

Mecca

$193 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mecca

$165 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 42.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Mecca

$105 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 50.9% $53

Eating Out

Mecca

$93 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 14.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Mecca

$74 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 48.9% $36

Getting Around

Mecca

$17 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 271% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $533 in Mecca versus $464 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 82% higher in Mecca. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Mecca versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Mecca vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Mecca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Mecca

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

4 h ahead of Mecca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,675,368

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mecca Chiang Mai 6,150 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mecca
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,404 per month in Mecca and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mecca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Mecca and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mecca, where all-in costs run around $936, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Mecca 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. Mecca costs $936 versus $938 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 Mecca. 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.