Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qairawan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,245 in Qairawan, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Qairawan
Learn more

Qairawan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Qairawan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,245

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,245 per month in Qairawan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qairawan $1,245
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,045 per month in Qairawan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qairawan $2,045
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,844 per month in Qairawan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Qairawan $2,844
Chiang Mai $1,979

Qairawan costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Qairawan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Qairawan 8% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.13 KWD 2.81

$2.24 ฿75.7

307.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 KWD 15.90

$19.00 ฿642

171.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 KWD 2.15

$5.55 ฿188

25.77%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Cappuccino

$4.48 KWD 1.38

$1.67 ฿56.6

168.26%

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

$0.49 KWD 0.15

$0.64 ฿21.56

-23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 KWD 0.09

$0.31 ฿10.32

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 KWD 0.40

$1.95 ฿65.8

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 KWD 0.25

$1.44 ฿48.51

-42.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 KWD 0.65

$1.33 ฿45.07

59.40%

Eggs

$2.35 KWD 0.73

$2.28 ฿77.1

3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.40 KWD 1.35

$16.45 ฿556

-73.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 KWD 1.55

$2.78 ฿94.0

81.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.38 KWD 2.89

$9.31 ฿314

0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 KWD 0.77

$2.35 ฿79.5

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 KWD 0.53

$0.97 ฿32.82

78.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 KWD 0.39

$1.60 ฿53.9

-20.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 KWD 0.51

$1.50 ฿50.7

11.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 KWD 0.47

$1.28 ฿43.15

19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 KWD 0.27

$1.10 ฿37.22

-19.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 KWD 0.45

$0.71 ฿23.84

105.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 KWD 0.16

$0.49 ฿16.38

8.16%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 KWD 0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 KWD 0.87

$4.14 ฿140

-31.88%

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)

$0.90 KWD 0.28

$0.87 ฿29.33

3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 KWD 1.06

$1.16 ฿39.08

196.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.69 KWD 1.14

$0.53 ฿17.82

596.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 KWD 5.51

$2.42 ฿81.8

639.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 KWD 0.12

$1.45 ฿48.93

-73.10%

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

$25.4K KWD 7,816

$21.1K ฿711.2K

20.47%

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

$16.8K KWD 5,177

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-37.63%

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

$55.7 KWD 17.16

$62.2 ฿2,100

-10.42%

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

$22.45 KWD 6.92

$12.17 ฿411

84.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.17 KWD 9.91

$20.12 ฿680

59.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$106 KWD 32.61

$37.31 ฿1,260

183.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 KWD 3.56

$6.49 ฿219

78.12%

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

$295 KWD 90.8

$736 ฿24.9K

-59.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,738 KWD 2,384

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-47.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.92 KWD 10.76

$53.4 ฿1,802

-34.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.28 KWD 12.10

$24.64 ฿832

59.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 KWD 28.33

$91.5 ฿3,089

0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 KWD 31.17

$71.9 ฿2,429

40.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 KWD 243

$482 ฿16.3K

63.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 KWD 169

$309 ฿10.4K

77.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 KWD 593

$1,006 ฿34.0K

91.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 KWD 361

$633 ฿21.4K

84.98%

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 Qairawan: 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

Qairawan

$549 44.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 43.7% $240

Groceries & Markets

Qairawan

$161 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 45.9% $74

Eating Out

Qairawan

$151 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Qairawan

$129 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 61% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Qairawan

$120 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qairawan

$110 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 14.4% $16

Getting Around

Qairawan

$25 * 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 141% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Qairawan 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 $52 in Qairawan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $161 in Qairawan vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Qairawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Qairawan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

4 h ahead of Qairawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qairawan Chiang Mai 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Qairawan
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

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

Qairawan costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,868 per month in Qairawan 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 $789 in Qairawan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Qairawan 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 31% cheaper in Qairawan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,245 in Qairawan 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 $1,245 in Qairawan. 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.