Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Safi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Safi: $588 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Safi
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Safi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Safi

🇲🇦 Morocco

$588

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $588 per month in Safi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Safi $588
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $904 per month in Safi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Safi $904
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,221 per month in Safi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Safi $1,221
Chiang Mai $1,979

Safi is about 37% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Safi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Safi 57% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.13 MAD 30.76

$2.24 ฿75.6

39.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.10 MAD 178

$19.00 ฿641

-4.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 MAD 59.6

$5.55 ฿187

9.19%

Cappuccino

$1.49 MAD 14.68

$1.67 ฿56.5

-10.78%

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

$0.46 MAD 4.51

$0.64 ฿21.54

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 MAD 3.30

$0.31 ฿10.31

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 MAD 15.49

$2.36 ฿79.5

-33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MAD 14.77

$3.66 ฿124

-59.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 MAD 8.08

$1.95 ฿65.7

-57.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 MAD 4.84

$1.44 ฿48.46

-65.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 MAD 15.54

$1.33 ฿45.03

18.80%

Eggs

$1.66 MAD 16.31

$2.28 ฿77.1

-27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.63 MAD 65.2

$16.45 ฿555

-59.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 MAD 65.9

$2.78 ฿93.9

141.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.50 MAD 83.6

$9.31 ฿314

-8.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 MAD 11.43

$2.35 ฿79.4

-50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MAD 11.24

$0.97 ฿32.79

17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 MAD 7.45

$1.60 ฿53.9

-52.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 MAD 6.96

$1.50 ฿50.6

-52.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 MAD 5.86

$1.28 ฿43.11

-53.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 MAD 7.61

$1.10 ฿37.18

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 MAD 3.85

$0.71 ฿23.82

-45.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 MAD 5.98

$0.49 ฿16.36

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 MAD 36.14

$4.14 ฿140

-11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.57 MAD 74.4

$17.52 ฿591

-56.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MAD 18.67

$1.61 ฿54.5

18.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 MAD 17.71

$2.78 ฿93.9

-35.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 MAD 4.41

$0.87 ฿29.30

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.21 MAD 100

$54.1 ฿1,825

-81.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MAD 6.64

$1.16 ฿39.04

-41.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 MAD 4.79

$0.53 ฿17.80

-7.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.95 MAD 58.5

$2.42 ฿81.7

145.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MAD 14.63

$1.45 ฿48.88

2.76%

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

$30.8K MAD 302.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

46.09%

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

$32.5K MAD 319.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

20.60%

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

$35.26 MAD 347

$62.2 ฿2,098

-43.28%

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

$10.00 MAD 98.3

$12.17 ฿411

-17.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.24 MAD 337

$20.12 ฿679

70.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.60 MAD 183

$37.31 ฿1,259

-50.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.14 MAD 50.6

$3.77 ฿127

36.34%

Cinema Ticket

$3.58 MAD 35.24

$6.49 ฿219

-44.84%

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

$96.0 MAD 943

$736 ฿24.8K

-86.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,608 MAD 35.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-75.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.78 MAD 381

$53.4 ฿1,801

-27.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 MAD 321

$24.64 ฿831

32.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 MAD 910

$91.5 ฿3,087

1.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.25 MAD 347

$71.9 ฿2,427

-51.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 MAD 2,734

$482 ฿16.3K

-42.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MAD 1,355

$309 ฿10.4K

-55.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 MAD 4,557

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-53.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 MAD 2,300

$633 ฿21.4K

-63.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$884 MAD 8,687

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-62.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$551 MAD 5,413

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-65.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$445 MAD 4,374

$590 ฿19.9K

-24.55%

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 Safi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Safi

$165 28%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 42.3% $70

Accommodation & Living

Safi

$138 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 124% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Safi

$90 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Safi

$80 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 18.8% $15

Eating Out

Safi

$75 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 3.2% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Safi

$26 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 95.1% $25

Getting Around

Safi

$15 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 306% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Safi 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 run about 33% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Safi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $234 – making Safi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇦 Safi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

7 h ahead of Safi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,888

127,240

💱 Currency

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Safi Chiang Mai 10,510 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Safi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 59% more than Safi, 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 $882 per month in Safi 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 Safi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $278 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $96 per month in Safi 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 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $588 in Safi and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Safi – 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 Safi. 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.