Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umm Salal 'ali and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Umm Salal ’ali: $790 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Umm Salal 'ali
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Umm Salal 'ali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Umm Salal 'ali

🇶🇦 Qatar

$790

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $790 per month in Umm Salal ’ali vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umm Salal 'ali $790
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,348 per month in Umm Salal ’ali vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umm Salal 'ali $1,348
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,906 per month in Umm Salal ’ali vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Umm Salal 'ali $1,906
Chiang Mai $1,999

Umm Salal ’ali is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Umm Salal ’ali and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Umm Salal ’ali 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 QAR 40.59

$2.13 ฿71.6

423.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 QAR 266

$18.62 ฿624

293.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 QAR 30.48

$5.60 ฿188

49.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.34 QAR 44.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.65 QAR 49.69

Cappuccino

$5.94 QAR 21.62

$1.66 ฿55.8

257.83%

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

$1.01 QAR 3.67

$0.65 ฿21.69

55.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 QAR 1.69

$0.30 ฿10.22

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 QAR 7.59

$2.02 ฿67.6

2.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 QAR 5.21

$1.41 ฿47.21

1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 QAR 6.72

$1.39 ฿46.67

33.09%

Eggs

$3.42 QAR 12.45

$2.37 ฿79.4

44.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 QAR 40.66

$16.52 ฿554

-32.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.44 QAR 30.71

$2.67 ฿89.5

216.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 QAR 42.11

$9.02 ฿302

28.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 QAR 8.20

$2.40 ฿80.4

-6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 QAR 6.66

$1.04 ฿34.91

75.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 QAR 5.88

$1.66 ฿55.6

-3.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 QAR 4.56

$1.56 ฿52.3

-19.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 QAR 3.63

$1.24 ฿41.50

-19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 QAR 3.68

$1.09 ฿36.44

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 QAR 5.07

$0.76 ฿25.54

82.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 QAR 1.85

$0.51 ฿17.24

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.55 QAR 34.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 QAR 6.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 QAR 8.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 QAR 24.52

$4.12 ฿138

63.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 QAR 7.13

$1.18 ฿39.45

66.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 QAR 7.18

$0.17 ฿5.75

1058.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.87 QAR 50.5

$1.81 ฿60.8

666.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 QAR 2.12

$1.47 ฿49.38

-60.54%

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

$24.1K QAR 87.8K

$21.0K ฿704.5K

14.76%

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

$21.6K QAR 78.7K

$26.5K ฿889.1K

-18.49%

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

$91.0 QAR 331

$62.6 ฿2,098

45.41%

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

$34.21 QAR 125

$11.60 ฿389

194.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.8 QAR 316

$20.30 ฿681

327.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$12.16 QAR 44.28

$6.51 ฿218

86.79%

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

$737 QAR 2,683

$727 ฿24.4K

1.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K QAR 61.1K

$16.6K ฿555.7K

1.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 QAR 224

$53.5 ฿1,795

14.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.39 QAR 176

$24.80 ฿832

95.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 QAR 362

$90.4 ฿3,031

10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 QAR 305

$72.0 ฿2,413

16.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.57

6.28%

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

Last update for Umm Salal 'ali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Umm Salal 'ali

$218 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 8.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Umm Salal 'ali

$212 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.4% $117

Eating Out

Umm Salal 'ali

$191 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 60% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Umm Salal 'ali

$132 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 17.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Umm Salal 'ali

$24 * 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 109% $27

Getting Around

Umm Salal 'ali

$12 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 396% $47

Accommodation & Living

Umm Salal 'ali

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Umm Salal ’ali versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Umm Salal ’ali vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Umm Salal ’ali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇶🇦 Umm Salal 'ali

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

4 h ahead of Umm Salal 'ali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,909

127,240

💱 Currency

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.245 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to QAR – Qatari Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇶🇦 Qatari Riyal (ر.ق)

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to QAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Umm Salal 'ali Chiang Mai 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Umm Salal 'ali
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

Umm Salal 'ali vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Umm Salal ’ali, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,185 per month in Umm Salal ’ali and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Umm Salal ’ali and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $790 in Umm Salal ’ali and $935 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 $790 in Umm Salal ’ali to $935 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.