Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umluj and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,230 in Umluj, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Umluj
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Umluj Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Umluj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,230 per month in Umluj vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umluj $1,230
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,824 per month in Umluj vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umluj $1,824
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,418 per month in Umluj vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umluj $2,418
Chiang Mai $1,999

Umluj costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Umluj and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Umluj 9% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.59 SAR 24.75

$2.13 ฿71.7

209.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.59 SAR 149

$18.62 ฿625

112.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 SAR 31.71

$5.60 ฿188

50.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 SAR 9.55

Cappuccino

$3.45 SAR 12.96

$1.66 ฿55.9

107.83%

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

$0.83 SAR 3.12

$0.65 ฿21.73

27.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 SAR 1.03

$0.30 ฿10.24

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

$2.02 ฿67.7

-4.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.41 ฿47.29

-20.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 SAR 7.60

$1.39 ฿46.75

46.04%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.30

$2.37 ฿79.5

4.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.88

$16.52 ฿555

-61.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 SAR 32.76

$2.67 ฿89.7

226.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 SAR 53.3

$9.02 ฿303

57.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$2.40 ฿80.6

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 SAR 7.35

$1.04 ฿34.98

88.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.16

$1.66 ฿55.7

-17.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.26

$1.56 ฿52.4

-10.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 SAR 4.04

$1.24 ฿41.57

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 SAR 4.78

$1.09 ฿36.50

16.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 SAR 5.28

$0.76 ฿25.59

85.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 SAR 1.82

$0.51 ฿17.27

-5.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.56 SAR 9.61

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 SAR 7.40

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.89 SAR 22.10

$4.12 ฿138

42.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 SAR 4.48

$0.93 ฿31.39

27.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.20 SAR 147

$52.9 ฿1,777

-25.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 SAR 11.11

$1.18 ฿39.52

150.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 SAR 5.90

$0.17 ฿5.76

823.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 SAR 59.4

$1.81 ฿60.9

774.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.53 SAR 1.99

$1.47 ฿49.47

-63.95%

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

$33.3K SAR 125.1K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

58.56%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.8K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-19.80%

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

$95.4 SAR 358

$62.6 ฿2,101

52.41%

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

$35.71 SAR 134

$11.60 ฿390

207.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 SAR 260

$20.30 ฿682

241.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.5 SAR 302

$37.88 ฿1,272

112.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$13.83 SAR 51.9

$6.51 ฿219

112.44%

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

$378 SAR 1,420

$727 ฿24.4K

-47.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K SAR 43.4K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-30.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.21 SAR 162

$53.5 ฿1,798

-19.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 SAR 234

$24.80 ฿833

151.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 SAR 348

$90.4 ฿3,036

2.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 SAR 330

$72.0 ฿2,418

22.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 SAR 2,093

$481 ฿16.2K

15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 SAR 1,528

$310 ฿10.4K

31.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 SAR 3,286

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-17.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 SAR 2,292

$659 ฿22.1K

-7.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,201 SAR 8,261

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-8.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,179 SAR 4,427

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-26.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,181 SAR 15.7K

$595 ฿20.0K

602.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.57

-0.54%

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

Last update for Umluj: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Umluj

$407 33.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 23.9% $97

Groceries & Markets

Umluj

$207 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 14.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umluj

$200 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Umluj

$129 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 15.9% $20

Eating Out

Umluj

$124 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 38.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Umluj

$108 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 52.9% $57

Getting Around

Umluj

$55 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 7.1% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $558 in Umluj 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 in Umluj are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Umluj versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $207 in Umluj vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Umluj wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Umluj

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

4 h ahead of Umluj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,757

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Umluj Chiang Mai 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Umluj
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

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

Umluj costs about 31% 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 $1,845 per month in Umluj 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 $481 there versus $558 in Umluj.

Kindergarten costs $378 per month in Umluj and $727 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 13% cheaper in Umluj – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,230 in Umluj and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,230 in Umluj. 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, Umluj makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.