Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abidjan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,209 in Abidjan, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
Learn more

Abidjan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,209

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,209 in Abidjan versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Abidjan $1,209
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Abidjan versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Abidjan $2,101
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,992 in Abidjan versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Abidjan $2,992
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Abidjan is roughly 29% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Abidjan 10% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.61 F CFA 1,520

$2.26 ฿75.4

15.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 F CFA 40.2K

$19.18 ฿641

259.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 F CFA 5,854

$5.59 ฿187

79.61%

Cappuccino

$1.85 F CFA 1,078

$1.72 ฿57.6

7.56%

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

$0.77 F CFA 447

$0.64 ฿21.54

20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 F CFA 443

$0.33 ฿11.18

130.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 F CFA 610

$2.36 ฿78.7

-55.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 F CFA 985

$3.90 ฿130

-56.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 F CFA 1,159

$2.05 ฿68.6

-2.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 F CFA 318

$1.40 ฿46.70

-60.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 F CFA 689

$1.28 ฿42.89

-7.81%

Eggs

$2.26 F CFA 1,317

$2.25 ฿75.3

0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.92 F CFA 15.1K

$16.94 ฿566

53.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 F CFA 3,354

$2.74 ฿91.6

109.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.89 F CFA 3,435

$9.36 ฿313

-37.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 F CFA 2,376

$2.40 ฿80.3

69.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 F CFA 630

$1.01 ฿33.92

6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 F CFA 1,216

$1.61 ฿53.9

29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 F CFA 1,401

$1.52 ฿50.7

57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 F CFA 970

$1.28 ฿42.90

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 F CFA 927

$1.11 ฿37.22

43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 F CFA 311

$0.72 ฿24.09

-26.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 F CFA 463

$0.52 ฿17.54

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.75 F CFA 1,019

$4.33 ฿145

-59.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.11 F CFA 2,982

$17.73 ฿593

-71.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 F CFA 588

$1.63 ฿54.4

-38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 F CFA 678

$2.85 ฿95.3

-59.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 F CFA 542

$0.85 ฿28.31

9.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.23 F CFA 24.6K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-21.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 F CFA 967

$1.17 ฿39.18

41.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 F CFA 1,020

$0.57 ฿19.00

207.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.56 F CFA 14.9K

$2.37 ฿79.2

978.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 F CFA 839

$1.45 ฿48.32

-0.69%

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

$28.0K F CFA 16.3M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

36.52%

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

$26.8K F CFA 15.6M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

0.98%

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

$167 F CFA 97.3K

$62.3 ฿2,083

167.75%

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

$24.00 F CFA 14.0K

$12.27 ฿410

95.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.94 F CFA 20.4K

$19.97 ฿668

74.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 F CFA 41.6K

$37.91 ฿1,267

88.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.96 F CFA 12.2K

$3.76 ฿126

457.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 F CFA 5,004

$6.71 ฿224

27.87%

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

$365 F CFA 212.6K

$797 ฿26.6K

-54.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,635 F CFA 2.7M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-68.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 F CFA 53.3K

$53.3 ฿1,780

71.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.47 F CFA 21.3K

$25.05 ฿837

45.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 F CFA 44.5K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-16.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 F CFA 79.2K

$73.5 ฿2,455

84.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 F CFA 394.3K

$464 ฿15.5K

45.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 F CFA 204.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

14.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 F CFA 1.5M

$915 ฿30.6K

184.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 F CFA 580.2K

$552 ฿18.5K

80.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,196 F CFA 1.3M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

14.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$678 F CFA 395.6K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-52.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 F CFA 127.1K

$595 ฿19.9K

-63.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.75

5.57

182.76%

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

Last update for Abidjan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abidjan

$350 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 12.9% $45

Groceries & Markets

Abidjan

$248 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 4% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abidjan

$226 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 58.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Abidjan

$153 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 28.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Abidjan

$89 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 42% $37

Eating Out

Abidjan

$88 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 10.1% $8.9

Getting Around

Abidjan

$56 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 8.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Abidjan and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 173% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Abidjan vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

18:35 6:35 PM

7 h ahead of Abidjan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,567,409

127,240

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abidjan Chiang Mai 11,170 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Abidjan
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

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

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 173% lower in Chiang Mai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $676 in Abidjan versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $69.0 in Abidjan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,209 per month in Abidjan versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,209 in Abidjan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Abidjan. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Abidjan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Abidjan and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Abidjan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.