Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $552 per month in Arusha vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arusha $552
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $887 per month in Arusha vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arusha $887
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Arusha vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arusha $1,222
Chiang Mai $1,903

Arusha is about 40% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arusha and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Arusha 59% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$2.29 ฿76.5

45.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

$19.64 ฿656

36.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

$5.61 ฿188

63.99%

Cappuccino

$1.66 TZS 4,356

$1.66 ฿55.6

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

$0.87 TZS 2,284

$0.70 ฿23.40

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 842

$0.31 ฿10.24

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 TZS 2,659

$2.41 ฿80.4

-57.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 TZS 7,351

$3.71 ฿124

-24.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 TZS 2,578

$1.95 ฿65.3

-49.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 TZS 1,773

$1.41 ฿47.03

-51.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 TZS 4,344

$1.31 ฿43.62

26.72%

Eggs

$1.74 TZS 4,552

$2.18 ฿72.9

-20.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 TZS 6,066

$2.39 ฿80.0

-2.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,039

$1.50 ฿50.0

-48.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,284

$1.29 ฿43.13

-62.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,795

$1.11 ฿37.03

-3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 TZS 2,046

$0.53 ฿17.59

47.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 TZS 3,927

$4.31 ฿144

-65.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 TZS 2,563

$1.58 ฿52.9

-37.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 TZS 2,387

$2.84 ฿95.0

-67.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 496

$0.86 ฿28.86

-77.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

$2.35 ฿78.6

220.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 TZS 3,441

$1.44 ฿47.96

-9.03%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-55.17%

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

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

$12.11 ฿405

-28.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

$19.94 ฿666

132.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

$37.07 ฿1,239

75.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

$6.50 ฿217

-27.69%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-49.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 TZS 727.8K

$455 ฿15.2K

-38.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 TZS 626.7K

$298 ฿9,954

-19.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 TZS 1.3M

$908 ฿30.4K

-45.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 TZS 1.4M

$554 ฿18.5K

-5.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Arusha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$239 43.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 24.5% $59

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 12.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$83 15%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 14% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$65 * 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 260% $170

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 7897% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Arusha versus $455 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $65.0 in Arusha vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Arusha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

4 h ahead of Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

127,240

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Chiang Mai 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $552 in Arusha, $925 in Chiang Mai – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $829 per month in Arusha and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $552 in Arusha and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 67%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Arusha to $925 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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