Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yanbu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,021 in Yanbu, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Yanbu despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yanbu
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Yanbu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Yanbu

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Yanbu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yanbu $1,021
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,620 per month in Yanbu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yanbu $1,620
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Yanbu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yanbu $2,220
Chiang Mai $1,979

Yanbu costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Yanbu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Yanbu 25% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 SAR 22.48

$2.24 ฿75.6

167.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.12 SAR 143

$19.00 ฿641

100.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 SAR 25.03

$5.55 ฿187

20.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cappuccino

$3.90 SAR 14.65

$1.67 ฿56.5

133.53%

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

$0.82 SAR 3.07

$0.64 ฿21.55

28.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 SAR 0.68

$0.31 ฿10.31

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.95 ฿65.8

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 SAR 3.52

$1.44 ฿48.48

-34.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

$1.33 ฿45.04

65.41%

Eggs

$2.53 SAR 9.49

$2.28 ฿77.1

10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 SAR 23.76

$16.45 ฿555

-61.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 SAR 31.64

$2.78 ฿93.9

203.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 SAR 48.78

$9.31 ฿314

39.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 SAR 7.97

$2.35 ฿79.4

-9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.41

$0.97 ฿32.80

76.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 SAR 5.46

$1.60 ฿53.9

-8.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.06

$1.50 ฿50.6

8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.39

$1.28 ฿43.12

-8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.10 ฿37.19

-5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$0.71 ฿23.82

54.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$0.49 ฿16.37

10.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.48 SAR 24.32

$4.14 ฿140

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

$0.87 ฿29.31

21.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.43 SAR 140

$54.1 ฿1,826

-30.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 SAR 11.82

$1.16 ฿39.06

171.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$0.53 ฿17.80

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.66 SAR 51.3

$2.42 ฿81.8

464.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 SAR 2.32

$1.45 ฿48.90

-57.24%

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

$37.9K SAR 142.4K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

80.12%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-18.39%

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

$91.4 SAR 343

$62.2 ฿2,098

47.08%

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

$22.38 SAR 84.0

$12.17 ฿411

83.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 SAR 251

$20.12 ฿679

233.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 SAR 359

$37.31 ฿1,259

156.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.53 SAR 99.6

$3.77 ฿127

603.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 SAR 44.21

$6.49 ฿219

81.51%

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

$263 SAR 987

$736 ฿24.8K

-64.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,844 SAR 14.4K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-73.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 SAR 279

$53.4 ฿1,801

39.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 SAR 217

$24.64 ฿831

134.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 SAR 372

$91.5 ฿3,087

8.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 SAR 351

$71.9 ฿2,428

29.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 SAR 1,181

$482 ฿16.3K

-34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 SAR 790

$309 ฿10.4K

-31.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 SAR 2,288

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-39.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 SAR 1,552

$633 ฿21.4K

-34.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,702 SAR 6,387

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-27.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,237 SAR 4,644

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-22.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,411 SAR 12.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

478.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.57

-3.23%

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

Last update for Yanbu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yanbu

$210 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 46.8% $98

Groceries & Markets

Yanbu

$197 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 19.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yanbu

$181 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 47.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Yanbu

$146 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Yanbu

$119 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 57.8% $69

Eating Out

Yanbu

$119 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 34.7% $41

Getting Around

Yanbu

$49 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 25.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $315 in Yanbu 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 Yanbu are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Yanbu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Yanbu vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Yanbu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Yanbu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

4 h ahead of Yanbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,236

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yanbu Chiang Mai 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Yanbu
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

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

Yanbu costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Yanbu 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 Yanbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Yanbu and $736 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 16% cheaper in Yanbu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,021 in Yanbu 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 $1,021 in Yanbu. 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, Yanbu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.