Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,430 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
Learn more

Sohar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,430

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,430 per month in Sohar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sohar $1,430
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,095 per month in Sohar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sohar $2,095
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,759 per month in Sohar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sohar $2,759
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sohar costs about 53% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sohar sits 5% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.35 OMR 2.45

$2.24 ฿75.6

183.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.17 OMR 8.15

$19.00 ฿641

11.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 OMR 3.53

$5.55 ฿187

65.23%

Cappuccino

$4.93 OMR 1.90

$1.67 ฿56.5

195.21%

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

$0.69 OMR 0.26

$0.64 ฿21.55

7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 OMR 0.12

$0.31 ฿10.31

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.15 OMR 5.06

$2.36 ฿79.6

457.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.51 OMR 5.59

$3.66 ฿124

296.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 OMR 0.82

$1.95 ฿65.8

9.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 OMR 0.43

$1.44 ฿48.48

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 OMR 1.26

$1.33 ฿45.04

145.86%

Eggs

$2.69 OMR 1.04

$2.28 ฿77.1

17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.27 OMR 5.11

$16.45 ฿555

-19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 OMR 3.49

$2.78 ฿93.9

225.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 OMR 5.48

$9.31 ฿314

52.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 OMR 1.24

$2.35 ฿79.4

37.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 OMR 0.85

$0.97 ฿32.80

127.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 OMR 0.98

$1.60 ฿53.9

59.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$1.50 ฿50.6

-22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 OMR 0.71

$1.28 ฿43.12

42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.10 ฿37.19

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 OMR 0.67

$0.71 ฿23.82

143.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 OMR 0.35

$0.49 ฿16.37

87.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 OMR 2.29

$4.14 ฿140

43.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$26.26 OMR 10.11

$17.52 ฿591

49.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.99 OMR 1.54

$1.61 ฿54.5

147.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.51 OMR 3.28

$2.78 ฿94.0

206.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 OMR 0.98

$0.87 ฿29.31

191.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.9 OMR 19.98

$54.1 ฿1,826

-4.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 OMR 1.24

$1.16 ฿39.06

178.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 OMR 0.62

$0.53 ฿17.80

201.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$2.42 ฿81.8

327.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.45 ฿48.90

-55.86%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,060

$21.1K ฿710.7K

-12.92%

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

$20.2K OMR 7,758

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-25.20%

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

$104 OMR 39.96

$62.2 ฿2,098

66.93%

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

$29.67 OMR 11.42

$12.17 ฿411

143.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.6 OMR 33.71

$20.12 ฿679

335.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.50 OMR 19.06

$37.31 ฿1,259

32.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.74 OMR 4.52

$6.49 ฿219

80.89%

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

$294 OMR 113

$736 ฿24.8K

-60.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,986 OMR 2,690

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-52.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 OMR 19.72

$53.4 ฿1,801

-4.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.66 OMR 16.81

$24.64 ฿831

77.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 OMR 30.86

$91.5 ฿3,087

-12.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.50 OMR 18.29

$71.9 ฿2,428

-33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 OMR 188

$482 ฿16.3K

1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 OMR 147

$309 ฿10.4K

23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 OMR 312

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-19.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 OMR 260

$633 ฿21.4K

6.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,153 OMR 444

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-51.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$767 OMR 295

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-51.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,503 OMR 964

$590 ฿19.9K

324.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

5.57

13.64%

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

Last update for Sohar: 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

Sohar

$381 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 18.8% $72

Groceries & Markets

Sohar

$346 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 32.3% $112

Eating Out

Sohar

$236 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sohar

$221 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Sohar

$100 7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8.5% $8.5

Getting Around

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $489 in Sohar 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 Sohar 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 Sohar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sohar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

3 h ahead of Sohar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,605

127,240

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.43 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sohar Chiang Mai 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sohar
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

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

Sohar costs about 53% 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 $2,146 per month in Sohar and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $489 in Sohar and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $294 per month in Sohar and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Sohar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,430 in Sohar and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,430 in Sohar. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sohar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.