Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,726 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
Learn more

Sharjah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,726 per month in Sharjah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sharjah $1,726
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,594 per month in Sharjah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sharjah $2,594
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,462 per month in Sharjah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sharjah $3,462
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sharjah costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Sharjah sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.58

$2.24 ฿75.7

162.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.16 AED 118

$19.00 ฿642

69.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.87

$5.55 ฿188

46.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$3.12 AED 11.46

$1.67 ฿56.6

86.83%

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

$0.75 AED 2.75

$0.64 ฿21.56

17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.31 ฿10.32

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.95 ฿65.8

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.44 ฿48.51

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.70

$1.33 ฿45.07

36.84%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.20

$2.28 ฿77.1

45.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 AED 31.77

$16.45 ฿556

-47.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 AED 24.01

$2.78 ฿94.0

135.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$9.31 ฿314

23.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$2.35 ฿79.5

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$0.97 ฿32.82

80.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.83

$1.60 ฿53.9

-17.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 AED 4.50

$1.50 ฿50.7

-18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$1.28 ฿43.15

-15.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.06

$1.10 ฿37.22

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 AED 5.20

$0.71 ฿23.84

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.18

$0.49 ฿16.38

20.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 AED 24.14

$4.14 ฿140

58.70%

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)

$2.12 AED 7.79

$0.87 ฿29.33

143.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.55 AED 101

$54.1 ฿1,827

-49.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 AED 13.26

$1.16 ฿39.08

211.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

$0.53 ฿17.82

5.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 AED 44.19

$2.42 ฿81.8

397.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.58

$1.45 ฿48.93

-33.10%

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

$44.1K AED 162.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

109.60%

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

$21.0K AED 77.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-22.07%

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

$212 AED 779

$62.2 ฿2,100

241.26%

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

$48.90 AED 180

$12.17 ฿411

301.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$20.12 ฿680

386.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 199

$37.31 ฿1,260

45.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.44 AED 82.4

$3.77 ฿127

495.23%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 AED 50.8

$6.49 ฿219

112.94%

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

$340 AED 1,250

$736 ฿24.9K

-53.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 AED 30.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-43.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 AED 216

$53.4 ฿1,802

10.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AED 288

$24.64 ฿832

218.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 AED 396

$91.5 ฿3,089

17.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 AED 344

$71.9 ฿2,429

30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 AED 2,996

$482 ฿16.3K

69.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 AED 2,879

$309 ฿10.4K

153.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 AED 6,723

$1,006 ฿34.0K

81.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 AED 5,795

$633 ฿21.4K

149.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 AED 27.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

214.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 AED 9,368

$1,589 ฿53.7K

60.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,219 AED 8,149

$590 ฿19.9K

276.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$784 45.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60.6% $475

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$359 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.7% $265

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$152 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.7% $44

Eating Out

Sharjah

$113 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.6% $32

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 44.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $816 in Sharjah 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 in Sharjah are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Sharjah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Sharjah vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Sharjah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

3 h ahead of Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

127,240

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sharjah Chiang Mai 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharjah
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

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

Sharjah costs about 84% 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 $2,589 per month in Sharjah 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 $816 in Sharjah.

Kindergarten costs $340 per month in Sharjah and $736 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 18% cheaper in Sharjah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,726 in Sharjah and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,726 in Sharjah. 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, Sharjah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.