Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sakakah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,188 in Sakakah, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,188 per month in Sakakah vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sakakah $1,188
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,756 per month in Sakakah vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sakakah $1,756
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,324 per month in Sakakah vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sakakah $2,324
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sakakah costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sakakah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sakakah 12% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 SAR 21.49

$2.26 ฿75.4

153.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.30 SAR 140

$19.18 ฿641

94.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.76

$5.59 ฿187

46.69%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 SAR 8.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

Cappuccino

$3.50 SAR 13.13

$1.72 ฿57.6

103.49%

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

$0.68 SAR 2.55

$0.64 ฿21.54

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 SAR 1.19

$0.33 ฿11.18

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.46

$2.05 ฿68.6

-16.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$1.40 ฿46.70

-6.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 SAR 8.75

$1.28 ฿42.89

82.03%

Eggs

$2.35 SAR 8.80

$2.25 ฿75.3

4.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 SAR 27.81

$16.94 ฿566

-56.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 SAR 30.31

$2.74 ฿91.6

194.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.76 SAR 47.89

$9.36 ฿313

36.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 SAR 8.36

$2.40 ฿80.3

-7.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.01 ฿33.92

74.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.98

$1.61 ฿53.9

-1.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

$1.52 ฿50.7

3.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.39

$1.28 ฿42.90

-8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.80

$1.11 ฿37.22

15.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 SAR 4.55

$0.72 ฿24.09

68.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.01

$0.52 ฿17.54

3.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 SAR 11.18

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 SAR 6.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.89

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 SAR 25.22

$4.33 ฿145

55.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$0.85 ฿28.31

28.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.36 SAR 140

$53.9 ฿1,801

-30.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 SAR 9.84

$1.17 ฿39.18

123.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

$0.57 ฿19.00

229.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.31 SAR 49.96

$2.37 ฿79.2

461.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.26

$1.45 ฿48.32

-58.62%

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

$44.8K SAR 168.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

118.72%

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

$21.2K SAR 79.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-20.15%

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

$105 SAR 393

$62.3 ฿2,083

67.90%

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

$32.57 SAR 122

$12.27 ฿410

165.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 SAR 248

$19.97 ฿668

230.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.3 SAR 301

$37.91 ฿1,267

111.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.30 SAR 49.89

$6.71 ฿224

98.21%

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

$417 SAR 1,565

$797 ฿26.6K

-47.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,055 SAR 30.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-45.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.19 SAR 162

$53.3 ฿1,780

-18.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$25.05 ฿837

121.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 SAR 366

$91.6 ฿3,062

6.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 SAR 321

$73.5 ฿2,455

16.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,150

$464 ฿15.5K

23.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 SAR 1,417

$305 ฿10.2K

23.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 SAR 3,081

$915 ฿30.6K

-10.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 SAR 2,123

$552 ฿18.5K

2.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 SAR 8,868

$1,912 ฿63.9K

23.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,366 SAR 5,125

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-5.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$949 SAR 3,562

$595 ฿19.9K

59.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.57

-0.54%

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

Last update for Sakakah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sakakah

$378 31.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 19.3% $73

Groceries & Markets

Sakakah

$203 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 17.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sakakah

$203 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 53.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Sakakah

$127 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 13.6% $17

Eating Out

Sakakah

$116 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 32.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sakakah

$107 9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 52% $56

Getting Around

Sakakah

$54 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 14% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $573 in Sakakah versus $464 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 59% higher in Sakakah, 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 $37.00 in Sakakah versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $203 in Sakakah vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Sakakah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

4 h ahead of Sakakah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,813

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sakakah Chiang Mai 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sakakah
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

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

Sakakah costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,782 per month in Sakakah and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $417 per month in Sakakah and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Sakakah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Sakakah at $1,188. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sakakah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,188 in Sakakah. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sakakah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.