Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mishref and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,324 in Mishref, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Mishref
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Mishref Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mishref

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,324

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,324 per month in Mishref vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mishref $1,324
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,289 per month in Mishref vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mishref $2,289
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,254 per month in Mishref vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mishref $3,254
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mishref costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mishref and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mishref 3% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.74 KWD 3.93

$2.24 ฿75.7

468.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 KWD 19.89

$19.00 ฿642

239.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 KWD 2.66

$5.55 ฿188

55.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 KWD 1.49

Cappuccino

$5.07 KWD 1.56

$1.67 ฿56.6

203.59%

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

$0.75 KWD 0.23

$0.64 ฿21.56

17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

$0.31 ฿10.32

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 KWD 0.51

$1.95 ฿65.8

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 KWD 0.47

$1.44 ฿48.51

4.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 KWD 0.61

$1.33 ฿45.07

49.62%

Eggs

$2.13 KWD 0.66

$2.28 ฿77.1

-6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 KWD 1.33

$16.45 ฿556

-73.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 KWD 2.10

$2.78 ฿94.0

144.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 KWD 3.12

$9.31 ฿314

8.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 KWD 0.75

$2.35 ฿79.5

3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 KWD 0.57

$0.97 ฿32.82

91.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 KWD 0.57

$1.60 ฿53.9

15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 KWD 0.47

$1.50 ฿50.7

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

$1.28 ฿43.15

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

$1.10 ฿37.22

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 KWD 0.72

$0.71 ฿23.84

229.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 KWD 0.16

$0.49 ฿16.38

8.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.24 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 KWD 0.86

$4.14 ฿140

-32.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 KWD 0.23

$0.87 ฿29.33

-14.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 KWD 1.47

$1.16 ฿39.08

311.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

$0.53 ฿17.82

509.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.03 KWD 4.94

$2.42 ฿81.8

562.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 KWD 0.10

$1.45 ฿48.93

-77.24%

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

$23.2K KWD 7,151

$21.1K ฿711.2K

10.22%

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

$19.6K KWD 6,031

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-27.34%

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

$65.9 KWD 20.29

$62.2 ฿2,100

5.94%

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

$22.55 KWD 6.95

$12.17 ฿411

85.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.42 KWD 9.07

$20.12 ฿680

46.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$86.6 KWD 26.69

$37.31 ฿1,260

132.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.89 KWD 3.97

$6.49 ฿219

98.61%

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

$503 KWD 155

$736 ฿24.9K

-31.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,224 KWD 2,842

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-37.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.77 KWD 11.64

$53.4 ฿1,802

-29.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.59 KWD 12.20

$24.64 ฿832

60.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 KWD 30.61

$91.5 ฿3,089

8.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 KWD 26.81

$71.9 ฿2,429

20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 KWD 257

$482 ฿16.3K

73.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 KWD 176

$309 ฿10.4K

85.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 KWD 561

$1,006 ฿34.0K

80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 KWD 431

$633 ฿21.4K

120.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

5.57

17.24%

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

Last update for Mishref: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mishref

$572 43.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 46% $263

Eating Out

Mishref

$193 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.8% $115

Groceries & Markets

Mishref

$187 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 25.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mishref

$119 9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mishref

$118 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 19.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Mishref

$112 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 55.3% $62

Getting Around

Mishref

$24 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 157% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $834 in Mishref 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 $65 in Mishref versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Mishref vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Mishref wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Mishref

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

4 h ahead of Mishref

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,945

127,240

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KWD in detail →

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Mishref Chiang Mai 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mishref
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

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

Mishref costs about 42% 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 $1,986 per month in Mishref 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 $834 in Mishref.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Mishref and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Mishref – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,324 in Mishref and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,324 in Mishref. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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