Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abomey-Calavi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Abomey-Calavi: $712 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Abomey-Calavi
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Abomey-Calavi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Abomey-Calavi

🇧🇯 Benin

$712

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $712 per month in Abomey-Calavi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Abomey-Calavi $712
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,119 per month in Abomey-Calavi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Abomey-Calavi $1,119
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,526 per month in Abomey-Calavi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Abomey-Calavi $1,526
Chiang Mai $1,979

Abomey-Calavi is about 24% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Abomey-Calavi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Abomey-Calavi 48% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 F CFA 3,334

$2.24 ฿75.6

153.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.09 F CFA 14.7K

$19.00 ฿641

32.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 F CFA 4,682

$5.55 ฿187

43.60%

Cappuccino

$4.61 F CFA 2,706

$1.67 ฿56.5

176.05%

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

$1.14 F CFA 668

$0.64 ฿21.55

78.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 F CFA 1,028

$0.31 ฿10.31

464.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 F CFA 1,007

$2.36 ฿79.6

-27.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 F CFA 2,957

$3.66 ฿124

37.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 F CFA 1,282

$1.95 ฿65.8

11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 F CFA 146

$1.44 ฿48.48

-82.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 F CFA 1,158

$1.33 ฿45.04

48.12%

Eggs

$1.92 F CFA 1,125

$2.28 ฿77.1

-15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.40 F CFA 1,997

$16.45 ฿555

-79.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.94 F CFA 2,313

$2.78 ฿93.9

41.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.06 F CFA 3,563

$9.31 ฿314

-34.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 F CFA 1,232

$2.35 ฿79.4

-10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 F CFA 513

$0.97 ฿32.80

-10.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 F CFA 410

$1.60 ฿53.9

-56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 F CFA 1,226

$1.50 ฿50.6

39.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 F CFA 544

$1.28 ฿43.12

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 F CFA 444

$1.10 ฿37.19

-30.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 F CFA 414

$0.71 ฿23.82

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 F CFA 515

$0.49 ฿16.37

79.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.41 F CFA 243

$4.14 ฿140

-90.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 F CFA 6,368

$17.52 ฿591

-38.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 F CFA 543

$1.61 ฿54.5

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 F CFA 642

$2.78 ฿94.0

-60.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.62 F CFA 4,479

$54.1 ฿1,826

-85.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 F CFA 1,022

$1.16 ฿39.06

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 F CFA 1,023

$0.53 ฿17.80

228.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 F CFA 705

$1.45 ฿48.90

-17.24%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

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

$118 F CFA 69.3K

$62.2 ฿2,098

89.66%

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

$19.68 F CFA 11.6K

$12.17 ฿411

61.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.4 F CFA 50.7K

$20.12 ฿679

329.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.76 F CFA 19.8K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-9.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.18 F CFA 3,042

$3.77 ฿127

37.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 F CFA 3,519

$6.49 ฿219

-7.70%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.82 F CFA 9,881

$53.4 ฿1,801

-68.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.48 F CFA 4,981

$24.64 ฿831

-65.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.81 F CFA 15.2K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-71.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.94 F CFA 15.2K

$71.9 ฿2,428

-63.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$96.9 F CFA 56.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

-79.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.2 F CFA 42.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

-76.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 F CFA 122.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-79.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 F CFA 161.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-56.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$85.1 F CFA 50.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

-85.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Abomey-Calavi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abomey-Calavi

$224 31.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.8% $130

Groceries & Markets

Abomey-Calavi

$163 22.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.8% $71

Eating Out

Abomey-Calavi

$155 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 49.9% $77

Accommodation & Living

Abomey-Calavi

$72 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 328% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Abomey-Calavi

$46 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.9% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Abomey-Calavi

$35 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 213% $74

Getting Around

Abomey-Calavi

$18 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 240% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $97 in Abomey-Calavi 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 Chiang Mai are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Abomey-Calavi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $163 in Abomey-Calavi vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Abomey-Calavi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇯 Abomey-Calavi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

6 h ahead of Abomey-Calavi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

650,000

127,240

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abomey-Calavi Chiang Mai 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Abomey-Calavi
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

Abomey-Calavi vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,069 per month in Abomey-Calavi 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 Abomey-Calavi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $97 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $712 in Abomey-Calavi and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Abomey-Calavi about 24% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Abomey-Calavi and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $712 in Abomey-Calavi to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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