Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sidi Bel Abbes and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidi Bel Abbes: $534 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Sidi Bel Abbes
🇩🇿 Algeria
$534
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $534 per month in Sidi Bel Abbes vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Sidi Bel Abbes $534
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $883 per month in Sidi Bel Abbes vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Sidi Bel Abbes $883
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,231 per month in Sidi Bel Abbes vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Sidi Bel Abbes $1,231
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Sidi Bel Abbes is about 43% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sidi Bel Abbes and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sidi Bel Abbes 60% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.35 DZD 318
$2.13 ฿72.0
10.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.66 DZD 2,796
$18.62 ฿628
10.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.84 DZD 520
$5.60 ฿189
-31.43%
Cappuccino
$0.36 DZD 49.00
$1.66 ฿56.1
-78.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 DZD 81.0
$0.65 ฿21.83
-7.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 DZD 38.10
$0.30 ฿10.29
-6.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 DZD 225
$2.32 ฿78.4
-28.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 DZD 399
$3.67 ฿124
-19.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.96 DZD 130
$2.02 ฿68.0
-52.48%
White Bread (500g)
$0.08 DZD 10.46
$1.41 ฿47.51
-94.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.01 DZD 137
$1.39 ฿46.96
-27.34%
Eggs
$1.50 DZD 203
$2.37 ฿79.9
-36.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.51 DZD 1,287
$16.52 ฿557
-42.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.95 DZD 805
$2.67 ฿90.1
122.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.51 DZD 2,100
$9.02 ฿304
71.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.74 DZD 371
$2.40 ฿80.9
14.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 DZD 308
$1.04 ฿35.13
119.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.34 DZD 182
$1.66 ฿56.0
-19.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.47 DZD 63.8
$1.56 ฿52.6
-69.87%
Potato (1kg)
$0.35 DZD 47.91
$1.24 ฿41.76
-71.77%
Onion (1kg)
$0.63 DZD 85.7
$1.09 ฿36.66
-42.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 DZD 82.6
$0.76 ฿25.70
-19.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 DZD 44.55
$0.51 ฿17.35
-35.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.84 DZD 249
$4.12 ฿139
-55.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.00 DZD 1,354
$17.93 ฿605
-44.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.14 DZD 290
$1.62 ฿54.8
32.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 DZD 119
$2.82 ฿95.2
-68.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 DZD 22.62
$0.93 ฿31.53
-81.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.68 DZD 904
$52.9 ฿1,785
-87.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.67 DZD 90.8
$1.18 ฿39.70
-43.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 DZD 44.97
$0.17 ฿5.79
94.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.25 DZD 305
$1.81 ฿61.1
24.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.30 DZD 40.05
$1.47 ฿49.69
-79.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.5K DZD 2.2M
$21.0K ฿708.9K
-21.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K DZD 4.0M
$26.5K ฿894.6K
12.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$18.52 DZD 2,507
$62.6 ฿2,111
-70.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.83 DZD 1,196
$11.60 ฿392
-23.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.09 DZD 2,177
$20.30 ฿685
-20.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.35 DZD 2,349
$37.88 ฿1,278
-54.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.70 ฿125
-
Cinema Ticket
$1.51 DZD 204
$6.51 ฿220
-76.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$55.2 DZD 7,471
$727 ฿24.5K
-92.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,239 DZD 438.4K
$16.6K ฿559.2K
-80.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.52 DZD 4,402
$53.5 ฿1,807
-39.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.9 DZD 7,430
$24.80 ฿837
121.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.9 DZD 11.1K
$90.4 ฿3,050
-9.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.0 DZD 11.1K
$72.0 ฿2,428
13.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$146 DZD 19.8K
$481 ฿16.2K
-69.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$93.9 DZD 12.7K
$310 ฿10.5K
-69.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$269 DZD 36.5K
$1,058 ฿35.7K
-74.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$194 DZD 26.3K
$659 ฿22.2K
-70.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$991 DZD 134.1K
$2,418 ฿81.6K
-59.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,026 DZD 138.9K
$1,609 ฿54.3K
-36.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sidi Bel Abbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$345 DZD 46.7K
$595 ฿20.1K
-42.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.5
5.57
16.70%

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

Last update for Sidi Bel Abbes: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sidi Bel Abbes
$202
Chiang Mai
$237 17.4% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Sidi Bel Abbes
$113
Chiang Mai
$108 4.2% $4.8
Accommodation & Living
Sidi Bel Abbes
$94
Chiang Mai
$310 230% $216
Eating Out
Sidi Bel Abbes
$52
Chiang Mai
$77 46.1% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sidi Bel Abbes
$43
Chiang Mai
$94 117% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Sidi Bel Abbes
$20
Chiang Mai
$51 150% $31
Getting Around
Sidi Bel Abbes
$9.7
Chiang Mai
$59 506% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $146 in Sidi Bel Abbes versus $481 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 72% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $21 in Sidi Bel Abbes versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Sidi Bel Abbes vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Sidi Bel Abbes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇩🇿 Sidi Bel Abbes
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
19:35 7:35 PM
01:35 1:35 AM
6 h ahead of Sidi Bel Abbes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
212,935
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DZD – Algerian Dinar Converter

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.6 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sidi Bel Abbes Chiang Mai 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sidi Bel Abbes
  • 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
Sidi Bel Abbes vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sidi Bel Abbes or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 75% more than Sidi Bel Abbes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Sidi Bel Abbes and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $802 per month in Sidi Bel Abbes and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Sidi Bel Abbes or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sidi Bel Abbes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $146 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Sidi Bel Abbes and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $55 per month in Sidi Bel Abbes and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Sidi Bel Abbes or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Sidi Bel Abbes or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $534 in Sidi Bel Abbes and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Sidi Bel Abbes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Sidi Bel Abbes compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Sidi Bel Abbes or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Sidi Bel Abbes. 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.

Sidi Bel Abbes vs other spots: cost of living compared

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