Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $457
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $749 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $749
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $1,040
Chiang Mai $1,903

Mersa Matruh is about 51% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mersa Matruh and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mersa Matruh 66% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 E£234

$2.29 ฿77.2

83.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.05 E£1,062

$19.64 ฿663

-3.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 E£264

$5.61 ฿189

-15.86%

Cappuccino

$1.27 E£70.6

$1.66 ฿56.1

-23.49%

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

$0.33 E£18.14

$0.70 ฿23.61

-52.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.01

$0.31 ฿10.33

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.8

$2.41 ฿81.1

-43.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 E£156

$3.71 ฿125

-24.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.65

$1.95 ฿65.9

-55.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 E£37.07

$1.41 ฿47.47

-53.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£36.07

$1.31 ฿44.03

-50.38%

Eggs

$1.19 E£66.1

$2.18 ฿73.6

-45.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 E£212

$16.65 ฿562

-77.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 E£237

$2.76 ฿93.0

53.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 E£515

$9.11 ฿307

1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£86.1

$2.39 ฿80.7

-35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£41.82

$1.03 ฿34.58

-27.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£30.85

$1.63 ฿54.9

-66.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.76

$1.50 ฿50.5

-76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.59

$1.29 ฿43.53

-79.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.70

$1.11 ฿37.37

-72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£15.19

$0.72 ฿24.30

-62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.99

$0.53 ฿17.76

-58.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$4.31 ฿145

-57.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 E£316

$17.95 ฿605

-68.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 E£69.6

$1.58 ฿53.4

-20.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 E£127

$2.84 ฿95.9

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.72

$0.86 ฿29.13

-75.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 E£31.13

$1.21 ฿40.66

-53.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£9.23

$0.57 ฿19.16

-70.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 E£67.1

$2.35 ฿79.4

-48.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.06

$1.44 ฿48.40

-70.14%

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

$32.5K E£1.8M

$20.7K ฿699.2K

56.68%

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

$27.1K E£1.5M

$26.8K ฿904.0K

1.02%

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

$14.05 E£784

$62.3 ฿2,102

-77.46%

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

$6.68 E£373

$12.11 ฿408

-44.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.50 E£753

$19.94 ฿673

-32.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.88 E£885

$37.07 ฿1,250

-57.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 E£162

$6.50 ฿219

-55.23%

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

$85.0 E£4,740

$793 ฿26.7K

-89.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,090 E£116.6K

$14.8K ฿499.5K

-85.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 E£1,881

$53.7 ฿1,813

-37.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 E£2,560

$24.62 ฿831

86.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 E£7,112

$90.9 ฿3,064

40.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 E£3,202

$71.1 ฿2,400

-19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 E£7,152

$455 ฿15.4K

-71.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.7 E£4,278

$298 ฿10.0K

-74.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 E£14.3K

$908 ฿30.6K

-71.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£8,048

$554 ฿18.7K

-73.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$772 E£43.0K

$1,931 ฿65.1K

-60.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 E£19.7K

$1,445 ฿48.7K

-75.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$94.2 E£5,253

$591 ฿19.9K

-84.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

5.57

282.94%

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

Last update for Mersa Matruh: 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

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 86.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Mersa Matruh

$119 26%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 2% $1.5

Accommodation & Living

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 288% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 176% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 131% $28

Getting Around

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2626% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Mersa Matruh versus $455 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 in Chiang Mai are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh versus $20 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $235 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

12:36 12:36 PM

4 h ahead of Mersa Matruh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mersa Matruh Chiang Mai 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mersa Matruh
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

Mersa Matruh vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 102% more than Mersa Matruh, 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 $686 per month in Mersa Matruh and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh and $20 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. 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.