Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Assela and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $835 in Assela versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Assela $835
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Assela versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Assela $1,203
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,571 in Assela versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Assela $1,571
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Assela costs roughly 11% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Assela 38% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ETB 636

$2.26 ฿75.4

75.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.32 ETB 6,793

$19.18 ฿641

120.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 ETB 1,069

$5.59 ฿187

19.14%

Cappuccino

$0.96 ETB 153

$1.72 ฿57.6

-44.19%

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

$0.64 ETB 102

$0.64 ฿21.54

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.33 ฿11.18

106.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$2.36 ฿78.7

-64.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ETB 353

$3.90 ฿130

-43.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$2.05 ฿68.6

-48.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.40 ฿46.70

-16.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

$1.28 ฿42.89

73.44%

Eggs

$1.78 ETB 286

$2.25 ฿75.3

-20.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 ETB 1,152

$16.94 ฿566

-57.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 ETB 1,632

$2.74 ฿91.6

271.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 ETB 1,471

$9.36 ฿313

-2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 ETB 871

$2.40 ฿80.3

126.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.01 ฿33.92

-32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 348

$1.61 ฿53.9

34.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.52 ฿50.7

-56.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.4

$1.28 ฿42.90

-63.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.11 ฿37.22

-5.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.72 ฿24.09

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 96.9

$0.52 ฿17.54

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 ETB 1,290

$4.33 ฿145

85.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.49 ETB 881

$17.73 ฿593

-69.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.63 ฿54.4

-59.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 196

$2.85 ฿95.3

-57.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$1.17 ฿39.18

10.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.58

$0.57 ฿19.00

-49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 325

$2.37 ฿79.2

-14.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.45 ฿48.32

-37.93%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

165.13%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

112.96%

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

$201 ETB 32.2K

$62.3 ฿2,083

222.36%

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

$7.11 ETB 1,141

$12.27 ฿410

-42.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$209 ETB 33.5K

$19.97 ฿668

946.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 614

$6.71 ฿224

-42.92%

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

$137 ETB 22.1K

$797 ฿26.6K

-82.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

103.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.25 ETB 5,337

$53.3 ฿1,780

-37.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

$25.05 ฿837

182.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

$73.5 ฿2,455

12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 Assela: October 11, 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

Assela

$417 50%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 77.3% $322

Groceries & Markets

Assela

$211 25.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 12.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Assela

$119 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 7.9% $9.4

Eating Out

Assela

$77 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 2.7% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 571% $44

Getting Around

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 2138% $59

Accommodation & Living

Assela

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Assela vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $211 vs $238, with Assela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Assela

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

4 h ahead of Assela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,500

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Assela Chiang Mai 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Assela
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

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

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,252 in Assela and $1,408 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $137 in Assela versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.