Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Migdal HaEmek and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
Learn more

Migdal HaEmek Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,822

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,822 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $2,822
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,051 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $4,051
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,279 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $5,279
Chiang Mai $1,979

Migdal HaEmek costs about 202% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Migdal HaEmek sits 107% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.56 ₪80.2

$2.24 ฿75.6

1041.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 ₪286

$19.00 ฿641

379.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.26 ₪60.4

$5.55 ฿187

247.03%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₪14.19

$1.67 ฿56.5

170.66%

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

$3.40 ₪10.68

$0.64 ฿21.53

431.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₪8.74

$0.31 ฿10.30

800.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.86 ₪30.91

$2.36 ฿79.5

317.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 ₪32.04

$3.66 ฿124

179.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 ₪8.02

$1.95 ฿65.7

31.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 ₪11.21

$1.44 ฿48.45

147.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 ₪10.75

$1.33 ฿45.01

157.89%

Eggs

$4.51 ₪14.14

$2.28 ฿77.0

97.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 ₪40.53

$16.45 ฿555

-21.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.96 ₪40.65

$2.78 ฿93.8

366.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.12 ₪75.6

$9.31 ฿314

159.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 ₪13.51

$2.35 ฿79.4

83.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 ₪8.88

$0.97 ฿32.78

191.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₪7.22

$1.60 ฿53.9

43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 ₪8.02

$1.50 ฿50.6

70.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 ₪6.23

$1.28 ฿43.10

55.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₪5.46

$1.10 ฿37.17

58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 ₪7.49

$0.71 ฿23.81

236.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₪7.78

$0.49 ฿16.36

406.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.08 ₪31.62

$4.14 ฿140

143.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 ₪40.59

$17.52 ฿591

-26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₪10.06

$1.61 ฿54.5

99.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ₪12.58

$2.78 ฿93.9

44.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 ₪8.97

$0.87 ฿29.29

228.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 ₪356

$54.1 ฿1,825

110.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 ₪13.04

$1.16 ฿39.03

258.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 ₪3.92

$0.53 ฿17.79

135.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.39 ₪114

$2.42 ฿81.7

1403.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.66 ₪8.33

$1.45 ฿48.87

83.45%

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

$54.9K ₪172.2K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

160.76%

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

$54.5K ₪170.8K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

102.17%

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

$259 ₪813

$62.2 ฿2,097

317.11%

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

$11.69 ₪36.65

$12.17 ฿410

-3.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.55 ₪111

$20.12 ฿679

76.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.1 ₪254

$37.31 ฿1,259

117.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$16.07 ₪50.4

$6.49 ฿219

147.61%

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

$1,147 ₪3,597

$736 ฿24.8K

55.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ₪76.9K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

65.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₪323

$53.4 ฿1,800

93.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 ₪200

$24.64 ฿831

159.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₪411

$91.5 ฿3,086

43.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 ₪495

$71.9 ฿2,426

119.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 ₪4,339

$482 ฿16.3K

186.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ₪3,833

$309 ฿10.4K

295.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,759 ₪8,653

$1,006 ฿33.9K

174.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 ₪5,452

$633 ฿21.4K

174.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,836 ₪30.8K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

316.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,546 ₪23.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

374.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

5.57

-9.52%

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

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: 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

Migdal HaEmek

$1.2K 43.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 74.7% $913

Groceries & Markets

Migdal HaEmek

$428 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 45.3% $194

Eating Out

Migdal HaEmek

$411 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 81.1% $334

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Migdal HaEmek

$307 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 69.2% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Migdal HaEmek

$205 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 47.1% $97

Getting Around

Migdal HaEmek

$135 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Migdal HaEmek

$113 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 55.6% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,384 in Migdal HaEmek 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Migdal HaEmek versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

01:23 1:23 AM

5 h ahead of Migdal HaEmek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,700

127,240

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Migdal HaEmek Chiang Mai 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Migdal HaEmek
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

Migdal HaEmek vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Migdal HaEmek costs about 202% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,233 per month in Migdal HaEmek 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,384 in Migdal HaEmek.

Kindergarten costs $1,147 per month in Migdal HaEmek 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 83% more in Migdal HaEmek, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 67% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.