Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,027 in Sanaa, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Sanaa despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,027

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,027 per month in Sanaa vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sanaa $1,027
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,623 per month in Sanaa vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sanaa $1,623
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Sanaa vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sanaa $2,220
Chiang Mai $1,903

Sanaa costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sanaa and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sanaa 24% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 YER 1,534

$2.29 ฿76.5

183.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.73 YER 6,069

$19.64 ฿656

31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 YER 2,211

$5.61 ฿188

67.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 YER 477

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 610

Cappuccino

$3.78 YER 892

$1.66 ฿55.6

127.71%

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

$1.12 YER 264

$0.70 ฿23.40

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 YER 131

$0.31 ฿10.24

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 YER 474

$1.95 ฿65.3

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 YER 401

$1.41 ฿47.03

20.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 YER 470

$1.31 ฿43.62

51.91%

Eggs

$3.75 YER 885

$2.18 ฿72.9

72.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 YER 4,107

$16.65 ฿556

4.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 YER 1,980

$2.76 ฿92.2

203.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 YER 4,475

$9.11 ฿304

108.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 YER 783

$2.39 ฿80.0

38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$1.03 ฿34.26

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 YER 529

$1.63 ฿54.4

37.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 YER 392

$1.50 ฿50.0

10.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$1.29 ฿43.13

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 YER 313

$1.11 ฿37.03

19.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 283

$0.72 ฿24.08

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 YER 159

$0.53 ฿17.59

26.42%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.49 YER 587

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 YER 614

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 YER 1,265

$4.31 ฿144

24.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 YER 104

$0.86 ฿28.86

-48.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 YER 19.9K

$53.3 ฿1,780

58.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 YER 1,005

$1.21 ฿40.29

252.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 YER 492

$0.57 ฿18.99

264.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 YER 1,763

$2.35 ฿78.6

217.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 YER 500

$1.44 ฿47.96

47.22%

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

$17.1K YER 4.0M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-17.31%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

28.60%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

74.41%

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

$23.24 YER 5,481

$12.11 ฿405

91.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$100 YER 23.7K

$19.94 ฿666

403.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 YER 15.9K

$37.07 ฿1,239

81.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 YER 3,899

$3.78 ฿126

337.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 YER 1,413

$6.50 ฿217

-7.85%

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

$118 YER 27.9K

$793 ฿26.5K

-85.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,167 YER 511.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-85.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.90 YER 9,884

$53.7 ฿1,796

-22.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$123 YER 28.9K

$24.62 ฿823

398.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.13 YER 11.4K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-47.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.83 YER 9,632

$71.1 ฿2,378

-42.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 YER 52.9K

$455 ฿15.2K

-50.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.0 YER 22.9K

$298 ฿9,954

-67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.3K

$908 ฿30.4K

-55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 YER 64.5K

$554 ฿18.5K

-50.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 YER 981.6K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

115.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$798 YER 188.3K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-44.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 YER 46.2K

$591 ฿19.7K

-66.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

5.57

101.97%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$271 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 13.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$232 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 59.4% $138

Eating Out

Sanaa

$132 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 40.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$114 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 5.2% $5.9

Getting Around

Sanaa

$101 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 39.6% $40

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$97 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 207% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 37% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $224 in Sanaa versus $455 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 201% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Sanaa versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

4 h ahead of Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sanaa Chiang Mai 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
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

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

Sanaa costs about 11% 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 $1,541 per month in Sanaa and $1,388 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 $118 per month in Sanaa and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Sanaa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Sanaa at $1,027. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sanaa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,027 in Sanaa. 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, Sanaa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.