Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medea and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Medea: $453 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Medea
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Medea Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Medea

🇩🇿 Algeria

$453

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $453 per month in Medea vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medea $453
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $778 per month in Medea vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medea $778
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,103 per month in Medea vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medea $1,103
Chiang Mai $1,979

Medea is about 52% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medea and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Medea 67% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 DZD 258

$2.24 ฿75.5

-14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.37 DZD 3,835

$19.00 ฿640

49.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 DZD 514

$5.55 ฿187

-31.53%

Cappuccino

$0.36 DZD 49.22

$1.67 ฿56.4

-78.44%

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

$0.43 DZD 58.2

$0.64 ฿21.51

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 DZD 27.71

$0.31 ฿10.29

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 DZD 296

$2.36 ฿79.5

-7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 DZD 295

$3.66 ฿123

-40.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 DZD 119

$1.95 ฿65.7

-54.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.08 DZD 10.18

$1.44 ฿48.41

-94.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 DZD 148

$1.33 ฿44.97

-17.29%

Eggs

$1.19 DZD 161

$2.28 ฿77.0

-47.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 DZD 1,069

$16.45 ฿554

-51.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 DZD 531

$2.78 ฿93.8

41.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 DZD 1,959

$9.31 ฿314

55.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 DZD 275

$2.35 ฿79.3

-13.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 DZD 374

$0.97 ฿32.75

185.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 DZD 144

$1.60 ฿53.8

-33.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 DZD 80.7

$1.50 ฿50.6

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 DZD 83.2

$1.28 ฿43.06

-51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 DZD 66.0

$1.10 ฿37.14

-55.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 DZD 110

$0.71 ฿23.79

14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 DZD 36.52

$0.49 ฿16.34

-44.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 DZD 292

$4.14 ฿140

-47.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 DZD 924

$17.52 ฿590

-60.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 DZD 172

$1.61 ฿54.4

-20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 DZD 253

$2.78 ฿93.8

-32.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 DZD 30.49

$0.87 ฿29.27

-73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.89 DZD 932

$54.1 ฿1,823

-87.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 DZD 73.6

$1.16 ฿39.00

-53.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 DZD 62.3

$0.53 ฿17.78

-13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 DZD 750

$2.42 ฿81.6

129.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.32 DZD 43.89

$1.45 ฿48.82

-77.93%

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

$19.7K DZD 2.7M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

-6.53%

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

$34.4K DZD 4.7M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

27.84%

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

$18.29 DZD 2,472

$62.2 ฿2,095

-70.58%

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

$7.51 DZD 1,015

$12.17 ฿410

-38.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.12 DZD 1,638

$20.12 ฿678

-39.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.61 DZD 3,056

$37.31 ฿1,257

-39.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.89 DZD 256

$3.77 ฿127

-49.87%

Cinema Ticket

$3.27 DZD 442

$6.49 ฿219

-49.61%

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

$39.39 DZD 5,325

$736 ฿24.8K

-94.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,300 DZD 851.5K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-57.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.54 DZD 2,641

$53.4 ฿1,799

-63.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.20 DZD 4,216

$24.64 ฿830

26.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.23 DZD 4,221

$91.5 ฿3,083

-65.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 DZD 7,414

$71.9 ฿2,424

-23.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$141 DZD 19.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

-70.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.6 DZD 12.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

-70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 DZD 36.2K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-73.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 DZD 26.7K

$633 ฿21.3K

-68.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 DZD 133.7K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-58.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,059 DZD 143.1K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-33.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$311 DZD 42.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

-47.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Medea: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medea

$173 38.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.7% $62

Accommodation & Living

Medea

$92 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 237% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Medea

$62 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 76.4% $47

Eating Out

Medea

$49 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 58.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medea

$38 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 149% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Medea

$29 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 72.5% $21

Getting Around

Medea

$11 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 477% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $141 in Medea versus $482 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 89% 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 $28 in Medea versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $173 in Medea vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Medea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇿 Medea

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

15:11 3:11 PM

6 h ahead of Medea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,355

127,240

💱 Currency

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DZD – Algerian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇿 Algerian Dinar (د.ج)

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to DZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medea Chiang Mai 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medea
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 107% more than Medea, 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 $679 per month in Medea 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 Medea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $141 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $39 per month in Medea and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Medea. 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.