Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abuja and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $991 in Abuja, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abuja outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
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Abuja Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$991

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $991 in Abuja versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Abuja $991
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,872 in Abuja versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Abuja $1,872
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,753 in Abuja versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Abuja $2,753
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Abuja is roughly 6% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Abuja 27% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ₦2,611

$2.24 ฿75.6

-13.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.33 ₦40.8K

$19.00 ฿641

59.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₦5,483

$5.55 ฿187

-26.49%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ₦4,415

$1.67 ฿56.5

96.41%

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

$0.43 ₦575

$0.64 ฿21.54

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₦959

$0.31 ฿10.31

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₦1,306

$2.36 ฿79.5

-58.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₦2,656

$3.66 ฿124

-46.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.59 ₦4,830

$1.95 ฿65.7

84.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ₦1,737

$1.44 ฿48.46

-10.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 ₦3,058

$1.33 ฿45.03

70.68%

Eggs

$1.81 ₦2,428

$2.28 ฿77.1

-20.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₦14.9K

$16.45 ฿555

-32.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 ₦7,189

$2.78 ฿93.9

92.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.82 ₦7,822

$9.31 ฿314

-37.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₦2,785

$2.35 ฿79.4

-11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₦2,013

$0.97 ฿32.79

54.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ₦2,046

$1.60 ฿53.9

-5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 ₦3,078

$1.50 ฿50.6

52.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ₦2,401

$1.28 ฿43.11

39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ₦3,335

$1.10 ฿37.18

125.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₦797

$0.71 ฿23.82

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦528

$0.49 ฿16.36

-20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 ₦2,633

$4.14 ฿140

-52.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₦7,845

$17.52 ฿591

-66.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₦1,610

$1.61 ฿54.5

-25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₦2,492

$2.78 ฿93.9

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₦622

$0.87 ฿29.30

-47.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.58 ₦43.8K

$54.1 ฿1,825

-39.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₦826

$1.16 ฿39.04

-47.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₦1,090

$0.53 ฿17.80

52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₦2,482

$2.42 ฿81.7

-23.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 ₦768

$1.45 ฿48.88

-60.69%

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

$26.1K ₦35.1M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

23.99%

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

$37.3K ₦50.2M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

38.53%

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

$110 ₦148.3K

$62.2 ฿2,098

77.35%

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

$6.48 ₦8,717

$12.17 ฿411

-46.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 ₦39.2K

$20.12 ฿679

44.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.74 ₦34.6K

$37.31 ฿1,259

-31.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₦12.9K

$3.77 ฿127

155.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ₦8,485

$6.49 ฿219

-2.77%

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

$44.68 ₦60.1K

$736 ฿24.8K

-93.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,103 ₦4.2M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-78.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.03 ₦35.0K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-51.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 ₦81.7K

$24.64 ฿831

146.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₦102.9K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-16.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ₦141.8K

$71.9 ฿2,427

46.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₦792.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

22.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₦467.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

12.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 ₦1.9M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 ₦1.8M

$633 ฿21.4K

112.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$699 ₦940.4K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-70.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$378 ₦508.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-76.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₦218.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

-72.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

5.57

303.95%

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

Last update for Abuja: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abuja

$348 35.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 11.1% $39

Groceries & Markets

Abuja

$218 22%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abuja

$146 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 35.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Abuja

$121 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.2% $12

Eating Out

Abuja

$81 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 3.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Abuja

$39 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 57% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Abuja

$38 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Abuja and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30 in Abuja vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $234, with Abuja cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Abuja

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

6 h ahead of Abuja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

776,298 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Abuja Chiang Mai 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Abuja
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $991 in Abuja and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Abuja. 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: $589 in Abuja versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $991 per month in Abuja versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 40% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.