Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,055 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Salalah despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,055 per month in Salalah vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salalah $1,055
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,587 per month in Salalah vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salalah $1,587
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,118 per month in Salalah vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salalah $2,118
Chiang Mai $1,914

Salalah costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Salalah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Salalah 22% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 OMR 1.95

$2.26 ฿75.4

124.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 OMR 9.89

$19.18 ฿641

33.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 OMR 4.91

$5.59 ฿187

128.09%

Cappuccino

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$1.72 ฿57.6

251.74%

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

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$0.64 ฿21.54

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.33 ฿11.18

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.98 OMR 3.46

$2.36 ฿78.7

280.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.94

$3.90 ฿130

162.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$2.05 ฿68.6

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.40 ฿46.70

-9.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$1.28 ฿42.89

104.69%

Eggs

$1.91 OMR 0.74

$2.25 ฿75.3

-15.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.58 OMR 1.76

$16.94 ฿566

-72.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.73 OMR 1.82

$2.74 ฿91.6

72.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 OMR 2.45

$9.36 ฿313

-31.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 OMR 0.75

$2.40 ฿80.3

-19.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$1.01 ฿33.92

83.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 OMR 0.79

$1.61 ฿53.9

27.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 OMR 0.69

$1.52 ฿50.7

17.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 OMR 0.57

$1.28 ฿42.90

16.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 OMR 0.39

$1.11 ฿37.22

-9.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 OMR 0.42

$0.72 ฿24.09

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 OMR 0.20

$0.52 ฿17.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 OMR 2.26

$4.33 ฿145

35.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 OMR 7.76

$17.73 ฿593

13.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 OMR 1.53

$1.63 ฿54.4

144.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 OMR 1.81

$2.85 ฿95.3

64.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

$0.85 ฿28.31

56.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 OMR 21.09

$53.9 ฿1,801

1.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 OMR 0.87

$1.17 ฿39.18

92.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$0.57 ฿19.00

122.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.87 OMR 4.57

$2.37 ฿79.2

400.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.45 ฿48.32

-55.86%

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

$21.1K OMR 8,112

$20.5K ฿684.3K

2.91%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,061

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-30.83%

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

$77.6 OMR 29.89

$62.3 ฿2,083

24.56%

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

$48.92 OMR 18.84

$12.27 ฿410

298.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 OMR 28.39

$19.97 ฿668

269.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 OMR 15.04

$37.91 ฿1,267

3.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 OMR 10.04

$3.76 ฿126

593.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 OMR 2.95

$6.71 ฿224

14.31%

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

$105 OMR 40.24

$797 ฿26.6K

-86.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,925 OMR 741

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-87.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.01 OMR 11.17

$53.3 ฿1,780

-45.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.47 OMR 12.12

$25.05 ฿837

25.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 OMR 22.69

$91.6 ฿3,062

-35.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 OMR 17.72

$73.5 ฿2,455

-37.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 OMR 94.1

$464 ฿15.5K

-47.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

$305 ฿10.2K

-32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 OMR 241

$915 ฿30.6K

-31.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 OMR 149

$552 ฿18.5K

-29.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 OMR 770

$1,912 ฿63.9K

4.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 OMR 463

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-16.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,769 OMR 681

$595 ฿19.9K

197.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

5.57

-17.77%

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

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$231 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 3.1% $7.1

Eating Out

Salalah

$222 21%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 64.3% $143

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 48.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$200 19%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 52.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$74 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 47.1% $35

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 10.8% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$54 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 5.7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Salalah 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 197% higher in Salalah, 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 $26.00 in Salalah versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Salalah vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Salalah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

00:07 12:07 AM

3 h ahead of Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

127,240

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Salalah Chiang Mai 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
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

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

Salalah costs about 12% 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 $1,583 per month in Salalah 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 $105 per month in Salalah 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 3% cheaper in Salalah – 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 Salalah at $1,055. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salalah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,055 in Salalah. 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, Salalah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.