Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharm El Sheikh and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $442 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$442

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $442 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $442
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $674 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $674
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $905 per month in Sharm El Sheikh vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sharm El Sheikh $905
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sharm El Sheikh is about 53% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sharm El Sheikh and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sharm El Sheikh 68% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.07 E£1,180

$19.00 ฿640

10.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 E£249

$5.55 ฿187

-19.64%

Cappuccino

$2.17 E£122

$1.67 ฿56.4

29.94%

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

$0.33 E£18.71

$0.64 ฿21.51

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 E£28.57

$0.31 ฿10.29

64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 E£194

$2.36 ฿79.5

46.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 E£244

$3.66 ฿123

19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 E£46.19

$1.95 ฿65.7

-57.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.42 E£23.72

$1.33 ฿44.97

-68.42%

Eggs

$1.08 E£60.4

$2.28 ฿77.0

-52.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 E£193

$2.78 ฿93.8

24.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 E£77.8

$2.35 ฿79.3

-40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 E£25.39

$0.97 ฿32.75

-53.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.42 E£23.78

$1.60 ฿53.8

-73.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

-82.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 E£115

$4.14 ฿140

-50.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 E£78.0

$1.61 ฿54.4

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.08 E£4.38

$0.87 ฿29.27

-90.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.08

$1.45 ฿48.82

-70.34%

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

$29.6K E£1.7M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

40.76%

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

$20.4K E£1.1M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-24.31%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

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

$10.80 E£605

$12.17 ฿410

-11.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.30 E£1,528

$20.12 ฿678

35.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 E£18.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

-30.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 E£15.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-8.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$588 E£32.9K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-41.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$506 E£28.3K

$633 ฿21.3K

-20.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$950 E£53.2K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-59.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$663 E£37.1K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-58.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$141 E£7,910

$590 ฿19.9K

-76.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.5

5.57

375.76%

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

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Groceries & Markets

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Getting Around

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Sharm El Sheikh 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 Chiang Mai are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $51 in Sharm El Sheikh vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Sharm El Sheikh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

13:15 1:15 PM

4 h ahead of Sharm El Sheikh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,478

127,240

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.31 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sharm El Sheikh Chiang Mai 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharm El Sheikh
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

Sharm El Sheikh vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 112% more than Sharm El Sheikh, 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 $663 per month in Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $442 in Sharm El Sheikh and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Sharm El Sheikh about 53% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 358% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $442 in Sharm El Sheikh and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $442 in Sharm El Sheikh to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Sharm El Sheikh. 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.