Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oued Zem and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Oued Zem: $751 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Oued Zem
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Oued Zem Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Oued Zem

🇲🇦 Morocco

$751

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $751 per month in Oued Zem vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oued Zem $751
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,196 per month in Oued Zem vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oued Zem $1,196
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,640 per month in Oued Zem vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oued Zem $1,640
Chiang Mai $1,979

Oued Zem is about 20% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Oued Zem and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Oued Zem 45% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 MAD 41.18

$2.24 ฿75.7

86.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.10 MAD 405

$19.00 ฿642

116.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 MAD 70.0

$5.55 ฿188

28.11%

Cappuccino

$1.93 MAD 19.03

$1.67 ฿56.6

15.57%

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

$0.57 MAD 5.59

$0.64 ฿21.56

-10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MAD 3.58

$0.31 ฿10.32

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 MAD 48.75

$2.36 ฿79.6

109.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MAD 31.46

$3.66 ฿124

-12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 MAD 8.05

$1.95 ฿65.8

-57.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 MAD 5.96

$1.44 ฿48.51

-57.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MAD 18.21

$1.33 ฿45.07

39.10%

Eggs

$1.95 MAD 19.18

$2.28 ฿77.1

-14.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 MAD 111

$16.45 ฿556

-31.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 MAD 65.7

$2.78 ฿94.0

139.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.88 MAD 117

$9.31 ฿314

27.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 MAD 15.80

$2.35 ฿79.5

-31.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MAD 13.99

$0.97 ฿32.82

46.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 MAD 8.77

$1.60 ฿53.9

-44.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 MAD 8.08

$1.50 ฿50.7

-45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MAD 7.03

$1.28 ฿43.15

-44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 MAD 7.74

$1.10 ฿37.22

-28.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 MAD 3.86

$0.71 ฿23.84

-45.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MAD 5.97

$0.49 ฿16.38

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 MAD 41.63

$4.14 ฿140

2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.23 MAD 71.2

$17.52 ฿592

-58.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 MAD 25.25

$1.61 ฿54.5

59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 MAD 25.45

$2.78 ฿94.0

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MAD 4.95

$0.87 ฿29.33

-42.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.08 MAD 188

$54.1 ฿1,827

-64.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 MAD 7.19

$1.16 ฿39.08

-37.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MAD 7.36

$0.53 ฿17.82

41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 MAD 38.95

$2.42 ฿81.8

63.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 MAD 14.77

$1.45 ฿48.93

3.45%

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

$29.9K MAD 294.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

41.98%

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

$32.7K MAD 322.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

21.55%

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

$36.51 MAD 360

$62.2 ฿2,100

-41.27%

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

$9.90 MAD 97.5

$12.17 ฿411

-18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.95 MAD 334

$20.12 ฿680

68.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.75 MAD 224

$37.31 ฿1,260

-39.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 MAD 188

$3.77 ฿127

406.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 MAD 61.4

$6.49 ฿219

-3.85%

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

$181 MAD 1,779

$736 ฿24.9K

-75.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,550 MAD 94.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-35.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.28 MAD 466

$53.4 ฿1,802

-11.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 MAD 387

$24.64 ฿832

59.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MAD 902

$91.5 ฿3,089

0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.5 MAD 655

$71.9 ฿2,429

-7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$314 MAD 3,096

$482 ฿16.3K

-34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 MAD 1,824

$309 ฿10.4K

-40.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 MAD 4,686

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 MAD 2,788

$633 ฿21.4K

-55.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,129 MAD 11.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-52.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$874 MAD 8,606

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-45.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$230 MAD 2,264

$590 ฿19.9K

-61.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

5.57

-18.31%

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

Last update for Oued Zem: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Oued Zem

$201 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.4% $33

Accommodation & Living

Oued Zem

$185 24.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 66.8% $124

Eating Out

Oued Zem

$113 15%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Oued Zem

$110 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.3% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oued Zem

$80 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 17.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Oued Zem

$35 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 42.8% $15

Getting Around

Oued Zem

$26 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 140% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $314 in Oued Zem 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 in Chiang Mai are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Oued Zem versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Oued Zem vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Oued Zem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Oued Zem

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

06:08 6:08 AM

7 h ahead of Oued Zem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,267

127,240

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇦 Moroccan Dirham (د.م.)

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 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 MAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oued Zem Chiang Mai 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Oued Zem
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

Oued Zem vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Oued Zem, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,126 per month in Oued Zem 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 Oued Zem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $314 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $181 per month in Oued Zem 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 16% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $751 in Oued Zem and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Oued Zem – 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 Oued Zem. 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.