Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,307 in Addis Ababa, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,307

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,307 in Addis Ababa versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Addis Ababa $1,307
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,926 in Addis Ababa versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Addis Ababa $1,926
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in Addis Ababa versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Addis Ababa $2,544
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Addis Ababa is roughly 39% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Addis Ababa 3% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ETB 630

$2.26 ฿75.4

73.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.93 ETB 6,730

$19.18 ฿641

118.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ETB 1,072

$5.59 ฿187

19.50%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$1.72 ฿57.6

-48.84%

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

$0.63 ETB 100

$0.64 ฿21.54

-1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 102

$0.33 ฿11.18

93.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.82 ETB 131

$2.36 ฿78.7

-65.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ETB 365

$3.90 ฿130

-41.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 ETB 170

$2.05 ฿68.6

-48.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ETB 195

$1.40 ฿46.70

-12.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

$1.28 ฿42.89

73.44%

Eggs

$1.76 ETB 282

$2.25 ฿75.3

-21.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 ETB 1,153

$16.94 ฿566

-57.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ETB 1,645

$2.74 ฿91.6

274.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 ETB 1,486

$9.36 ฿313

-1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 ETB 871

$2.40 ฿80.3

125.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 104

$1.01 ฿33.92

-35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ETB 352

$1.61 ฿53.9

36.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 112

$1.52 ฿50.7

-53.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.4

$1.28 ฿42.90

-60.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 167

$1.11 ฿37.22

-6.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ETB 104

$0.72 ฿24.09

-9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 97.0

$0.52 ฿17.54

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.20 ETB 1,316

$4.33 ฿145

89.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.76 ETB 924

$17.73 ฿593

-67.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.63 ฿54.4

-58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 ETB 204

$2.85 ฿95.3

-55.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ETB 83.7

$0.85 ฿28.31

-38.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.49 ETB 3,449

$53.9 ฿1,801

-60.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$1.17 ฿39.18

16.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.70

$0.57 ฿19.00

-49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$2.37 ฿79.2

-14.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.45 ฿48.32

-37.93%

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

$56.0K ETB 9.0M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

173.42%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

113.22%

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

$206 ETB 33.1K

$62.3 ฿2,083

230.76%

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

$7.16 ETB 1,149

$12.27 ฿410

-41.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.6K

$19.97 ฿668

979.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 ETB 7,128

$37.91 ฿1,267

17.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.94 ETB 5,929

$3.76 ฿126

882.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 ETB 599

$6.71 ฿224

-44.41%

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

$134 ETB 21.5K

$797 ฿26.6K

-83.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

105.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.22 ETB 5,331

$53.3 ฿1,780

-37.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ETB 11.2K

$25.05 ฿837

179.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 ETB 12.7K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-13.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 ETB 13.5K

$73.5 ฿2,455

14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 ETB 114.1K

$464 ฿15.5K

53.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 ETB 62.8K

$305 ฿10.2K

28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 ETB 361.9K

$915 ฿30.6K

146.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 ETB 126.2K

$552 ฿18.5K

42.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,965 ETB 315.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

2.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 ETB 161.1K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-30.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 ETB 32.1K

$595 ฿19.9K

-66.44%

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 Addis Ababa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Addis Ababa

$429 32.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 77.9% $334

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$391 29.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 22.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$213 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 11.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$120 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 8.6% $10

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$76 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 4.4% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$52 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 1% $0.5

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 132% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $711 in Addis Ababa and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 198% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Addis Ababa vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $238, with Addis Ababa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

4 h ahead of Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 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 ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Chiang Mai 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
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

Addis Ababa vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Addis Ababa and Chiang Mai differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,307 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 198% 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: $711 in Addis Ababa versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,307 per month in Addis Ababa versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 151% less than in Addis Ababa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,307 in Addis Ababa, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Addis Ababa. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Addis Ababa 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 39% less than in Addis Ababa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.