Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Accra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,077 in Accra, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Accra despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
Learn more

Accra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,077

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Accra vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Accra $1,077
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,708 per month in Accra vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Accra $1,708
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,340 per month in Accra vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Accra $2,340
Chiang Mai $1,979

Accra costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Accra and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Accra 21% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.38 GHS 97.1

$2.24 ฿75.7

274.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 GHS 597

$19.00 ฿642

171.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 GHS 119

$5.55 ฿188

84.68%

Cappuccino

$4.59 GHS 53.2

$1.67 ฿56.6

174.85%

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

$1.62 GHS 18.71

$0.64 ฿21.56

153.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 GHS 5.48

$0.31 ฿10.32

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 GHS 22.01

$2.36 ฿79.6

-19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 GHS 25.32

$3.66 ฿124

-40.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.59 GHS 41.53

$1.95 ฿65.8

84.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 GHS 18.79

$1.44 ฿48.51

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 GHS 35.70

$1.33 ฿45.07

131.58%

Eggs

$2.62 GHS 30.36

$2.28 ฿77.1

14.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 GHS 138

$16.45 ฿556

-27.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.37 GHS 85.3

$2.78 ฿94.0

165.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.96 GHS 115

$9.31 ฿314

6.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 GHS 41.45

$2.35 ฿79.5

52.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 GHS 16.06

$0.97 ฿32.82

43.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 GHS 20.61

$1.60 ฿53.9

11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 GHS 43.20

$1.50 ฿50.7

148.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 GHS 32.33

$1.28 ฿43.15

117.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 GHS 32.13

$1.10 ฿37.22

151.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 GHS 8.63

$0.71 ฿23.84

4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 GHS 7.14

$0.49 ฿16.38

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 GHS 30.49

$4.14 ฿140

-36.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.14 GHS 82.6

$17.52 ฿592

-59.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 GHS 14.44

$1.61 ฿54.5

-22.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 GHS 27.37

$2.78 ฿94.0

-15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 GHS 17.64

$0.87 ฿29.33

74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.35 GHS 479

$54.1 ฿1,827

-23.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 GHS 20.36

$1.16 ฿39.08

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 GHS 14.74

$0.53 ฿17.82

139.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 GHS 49.04

$2.42 ฿81.8

75.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 GHS 15.17

$1.45 ฿48.93

-9.66%

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

$7,861 GHS 91.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-62.67%

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

$20.1K GHS 232.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-25.35%

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

$73.3 GHS 849

$62.2 ฿2,100

17.95%

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

$19.53 GHS 226

$12.17 ฿411

60.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.72 GHS 495

$20.12 ฿680

112.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 GHS 818

$37.31 ฿1,260

89.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 GHS 212

$3.77 ฿127

385.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 GHS 148

$6.49 ฿219

97.23%

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

$468 GHS 5,418

$736 ฿24.9K

-36.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K GHS 214.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

25.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.14 GHS 164

$53.4 ฿1,802

-73.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.57 GHS 215

$24.64 ฿832

-24.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.87 GHS 427

$91.5 ฿3,089

-59.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 GHS 607

$71.9 ฿2,429

-27.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 GHS 7,942

$482 ฿16.3K

42.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 GHS 3,247

$309 ฿10.4K

-9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 GHS 12.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

7.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 GHS 5,492

$633 ฿21.4K

-25.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,839 GHS 32.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

20.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,425 GHS 16.5K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-10.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 GHS 2,034

$590 ฿19.9K

-70.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

5.57

380.25%

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

Last update for Accra: 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

Accra

$280 26%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 10.2% $29

Groceries & Markets

Accra

$279 25.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16% $45

Eating Out

Accra

$175 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 55.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Accra

$136 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 30.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Accra

$96 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 47.7% $46

Getting Around

Accra

$56 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 10.4% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Accra

$55 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 97.9% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $686 in Accra 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 3.4 times higher, 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 $52 in Accra versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Accra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

22:11 10:11 PM

7 h ahead of Accra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,388,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Accra Chiang Mai 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Accra
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,077 in Accra, $936 in Chiang Mai – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,615 per month in Accra 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $686 in Accra.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Accra, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Accra and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,077 in Accra 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 $1,077 in Accra. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.