Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wadi Musa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,014 in Wadi Musa, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. The total is higher in Wadi Musa despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Wadi Musa
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Wadi Musa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Wadi Musa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,014

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,014 per month in Wadi Musa vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,014
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,317 per month in Wadi Musa vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,317
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,620 per month in Wadi Musa vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wadi Musa $1,620
Chiang Mai $1,914

Wadi Musa costs about 8% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Wadi Musa and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Wadi Musa 25% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.21 JOD 5.10

$2.26 ฿75.4

219.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.01 JOD 24.79

$19.18 ฿641

82.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 JOD 4.96

$5.59 ฿187

25.40%

Cappuccino

$2.85 JOD 2.02

$1.72 ฿57.6

65.70%

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

$0.47 JOD 0.34

$0.64 ฿21.54

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 JOD 0.31

$0.33 ฿11.18

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.52 JOD 6.03

$2.36 ฿78.7

261.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.98 JOD 7.77

$3.90 ฿130

181.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$2.05 ฿68.6

-30.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 JOD 0.47

$1.40 ฿46.70

-52.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JOD 0.98

$1.28 ฿42.89

7.81%

Eggs

$2.39 JOD 1.69

$2.25 ฿75.3

6.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 JOD 6.71

$16.94 ฿566

-44.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 JOD 3.98

$2.74 ฿91.6

105.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 JOD 8.03

$9.36 ฿313

21.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$2.40 ฿80.3

-40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.01 ฿33.92

41.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.61 ฿53.9

-11.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 JOD 0.50

$1.52 ฿50.7

-53.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 JOD 0.49

$1.28 ฿42.90

-45.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$1.11 ฿37.22

-37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 JOD 0.43

$0.72 ฿24.09

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 JOD 0.29

$0.52 ฿17.54

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 JOD 2.55

$4.33 ฿145

-16.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.55 JOD 15.26

$17.73 ฿593

21.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.02 JOD 3.55

$1.63 ฿54.4

207.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 JOD 3.56

$2.85 ฿95.3

76.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 JOD 0.45

$1.17 ฿39.18

-45.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 JOD 0.99

$0.57 ฿19.00

145.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 JOD 4.97

$2.37 ฿79.2

196.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 JOD 0.79

$1.45 ฿48.32

-23.45%

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

$34.9K JOD 24.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

70.66%

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

$35.1K JOD 24.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

32.49%

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

$70.1 JOD 49.66

$62.3 ฿2,083

12.53%

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

$4.26 JOD 3.02

$12.27 ฿410

-65.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.25 JOD 10.09

$19.97 ฿668

-28.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.70 JOD 25.27

$37.91 ฿1,267

-5.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 JOD 7.91

$6.71 ฿224

66.62%

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

$486 JOD 344

$797 ฿26.6K

-38.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,551 JOD 6,762

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-35.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 JOD 45.63

$53.3 ฿1,780

21.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.4 JOD 57.7

$25.05 ฿837

225.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 JOD 87.5

$91.6 ฿3,062

34.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 JOD 60.6

$73.5 ฿2,455

16.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 JOD 250

$464 ฿15.5K

-24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 JOD 197

$305 ฿10.2K

-8.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 JOD 354

$595 ฿19.9K

-15.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

5.57

22.26%

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

Last update for Wadi Musa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wadi Musa

$278 27.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 9.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Wadi Musa

$241 23.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 1.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Wadi Musa

$181 17.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 56.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Wadi Musa

$160 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 31.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wadi Musa

$89 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 6.7% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Wadi Musa

$58 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 11.6% $6.7

Getting Around

Wadi Musa

$7.6 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 704% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $353 in Wadi Musa versus $464 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 19% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Wadi Musa versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Wadi Musa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

02:36 2:36 AM

4 h ahead of Wadi Musa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wadi Musa Chiang Mai 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Wadi Musa
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

Wadi Musa vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wadi Musa costs about 8% 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 $1,521 per month in Wadi Musa and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Wadi Musa and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Wadi Musa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Wadi Musa at $1,014. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wadi Musa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,014 in Wadi Musa. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wadi Musa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.