Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adama and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,030 in Adama, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,030

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,030 per month in Adama vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Adama $1,030
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,702 per month in Adama vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Adama $1,702
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,374 per month in Adama vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Adama $2,374
Chiang Mai $1,979

Adama costs about 10% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Adama and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Adama 24% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ETB 492

$2.24 ฿75.5

36.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.00 ETB 6,924

$19.00 ฿640

126.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ETB 801

$5.55 ฿187

-10.27%

Cappuccino

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.67 ฿56.4

-46.11%

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

$0.58 ETB 93.9

$0.64 ฿21.51

-9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ETB 50.5

$0.31 ฿10.29

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 134

$2.36 ฿79.5

-64.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ETB 372

$3.66 ฿123

-36.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 ETB 124

$1.95 ฿65.7

-60.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$1.44 ฿48.41

-18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ETB 354

$1.33 ฿44.97

65.41%

Eggs

$1.80 ETB 290

$2.28 ฿77.0

-21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 ETB 1,184

$16.45 ฿554

-55.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 ETB 1,625

$2.78 ฿93.8

262.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 ETB 1,514

$9.31 ฿314

0.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.51 ETB 888

$2.35 ฿79.3

134.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 111

$0.97 ฿32.75

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ETB 344

$1.60 ฿53.8

33.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 113

$1.50 ฿50.6

-53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.9

$1.28 ฿43.06

-60.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$1.10 ฿37.14

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 111

$0.71 ฿23.79

-2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$0.49 ฿16.34

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.88 ETB 1,269

$4.14 ฿140

90.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 ETB 931

$17.52 ฿590

-67.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ETB 113

$1.61 ฿54.4

-56.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$2.78 ฿93.8

-53.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ETB 206

$1.16 ฿39.00

10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 42.90

$0.53 ฿17.78

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 327

$2.42 ฿81.6

-16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 145

$1.45 ฿48.82

-37.93%

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

$55.8K ETB 9.0M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

164.74%

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

$55.3K ETB 8.9M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

105.44%

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

$206 ETB 33.1K

$62.2 ฿2,095

231.06%

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

$7.50 ETB 1,207

$12.17 ฿410

-38.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$215 ETB 34.6K

$20.12 ฿678

968.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 617

$6.49 ฿219

-40.99%

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

$611 ETB 98.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-17.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

106.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.75 ETB 5,273

$53.4 ฿1,799

-38.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.3 ETB 11.6K

$24.64 ฿830

193.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ETB 12.9K

$91.5 ฿3,083

-12.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 ETB 13.2K

$71.9 ฿2,424

14.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ETB 56.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

-27.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ETB 31.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-35.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 ETB 157.8K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 ETB 131.2K

$633 ฿21.3K

28.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$98.7 ETB 15.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

-83.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

5.57

232.14%

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

Last update for Adama: October 27, 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

Adama

$428 41.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 77.9% $334

Groceries & Markets

Adama

$211 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 11.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

Adama

$198 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 55.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Adama

$120 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.6% $12

Eating Out

Adama

$63 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 24.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Adama

$7.7 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 556% $43

Getting Around

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2251% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in Adama 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 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 $43 in Adama versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $211 in Adama vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Adama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Adama

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

4 h ahead of Adama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,623

127,240

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Adama Chiang Mai 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Adama
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,030 in Adama, $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,545 per month in Adama 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 Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Adama – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,030 in Adama 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 $1,030 in Adama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.