Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meknes and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $732 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Meknes, Morocco
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Meknes
🇲🇦 Morocco
$732
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $732 per month in Meknes vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Meknes $732
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,096 per month in Meknes vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Meknes $1,096
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,460 per month in Meknes vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Meknes $1,460
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Meknes is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Meknes and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Meknes 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.59 MAD 25.49
$2.24 ฿75.6
15.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.47 MAD 152
$19.00 ฿641
-18.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.21 MAD 61.0
$5.55 ฿187
11.89%
Cappuccino
$1.76 MAD 17.34
$1.67 ฿56.5
5.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 MAD 9.30
$0.64 ฿21.54
48.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 MAD 5.39
$0.31 ฿10.31
77.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.98 MAD 29.29
$2.36 ฿79.5
26.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 MAD 35.71
$3.66 ฿124
-0.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 MAD 7.85
$1.95 ฿65.7
-58.97%
White Bread (500g)
$0.37 MAD 3.67
$1.44 ฿48.46
-74.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 MAD 12.54
$1.33 ฿45.03
-3.76%
Eggs
$1.79 MAD 17.61
$2.28 ฿77.1
-21.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.05 MAD 109
$16.45 ฿555
-32.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.13 MAD 50.4
$2.78 ฿93.9
84.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.13 MAD 89.8
$9.31 ฿314
-1.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.19 MAD 11.69
$2.35 ฿79.4
-49.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 MAD 12.91
$0.97 ฿32.79
35.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.65 MAD 6.35
$1.60 ฿53.9
-59.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.71 MAD 6.97
$1.50 ฿50.6
-52.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.56 MAD 5.54
$1.28 ฿43.11
-56.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.51 MAD 5.02
$1.10 ฿37.18
-53.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.48 MAD 4.75
$0.71 ฿23.82
-32.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 MAD 5.30
$0.49 ฿16.36
10.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.98 MAD 39.11
$4.14 ฿140
-3.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.07 MAD 79.4
$17.52 ฿591
-53.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 MAD 23.20
$1.61 ฿54.5
46.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MAD 25.61
$2.78 ฿93.9
-6.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.39 MAD 3.87
$0.87 ฿29.30
-55.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.11 MAD 148
$54.1 ฿1,825
-72.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.69 MAD 6.74
$1.16 ฿39.04
-40.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 MAD 3.17
$0.53 ฿17.80
-39.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.56 MAD 44.84
$2.42 ฿81.7
88.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 MAD 13.54
$1.45 ฿48.88
-4.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.0K MAD 304.2K
$21.1K ฿710.5K
46.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.4K MAD 298.6K
$26.9K ฿909.0K
12.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.53 MAD 448
$62.2 ฿2,098
-26.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.78 MAD 96.2
$12.17 ฿411
-19.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.13 MAD 365
$20.12 ฿679
84.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.67 MAD 272
$37.31 ฿1,259
-25.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.74 MAD 312
$3.77 ฿127
741.91%
Cinema Ticket
$4.18 MAD 41.08
$6.49 ฿219
-35.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$122 MAD 1,204
$736 ฿24.8K
-83.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,612 MAD 55.2K
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-61.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.2 MAD 572
$53.4 ฿1,801
8.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.01 MAD 433
$24.64 ฿831
78.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 MAD 890
$91.5 ฿3,087
-1.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.2 MAD 592
$71.9 ฿2,427
-16.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$343 MAD 3,369
$482 ฿16.3K
-28.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$207 MAD 2,039
$309 ฿10.4K
-32.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$600 MAD 5,898
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-40.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$323 MAD 3,179
$633 ฿21.4K
-48.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$950 MAD 9,337
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-59.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$592 MAD 5,818
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-62.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Meknes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$468 MAD 4,604
$590 ฿19.9K
-20.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
5.57
-19.21%

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

Last update for Meknes: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Meknes
$207
Chiang Mai
$309 48.9% $102
Groceries & Markets
Meknes
$174
Chiang Mai
$234 34.4% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Meknes
$114
Chiang Mai
$109 4.6% $5.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meknes
$92
Chiang Mai
$94 2.2% $2
Eating Out
Meknes
$89
Chiang Mai
$78 12.5% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Meknes
$36
Chiang Mai
$50 39.6% $14
Getting Around
Meknes
$19
Chiang Mai
$61 223% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Meknes 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 26% 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 in Meknes versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $234 – making Meknes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Meknes
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
19:19 7:19 PM
02:19 2:19 AM
7 h ahead of Meknes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
520,428
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Meknes Chiang Mai 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Meknes
  • 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
Meknes vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Meknes or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Meknes, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Meknes and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,098 per month in Meknes and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Meknes or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Meknes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Meknes and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $122 per month in Meknes and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Meknes or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Meknes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Meknes compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Meknes or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Meknes. 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.

Meknes vs other spots: cost of living compared

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