Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bambous and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $544 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$544

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $544 in Bambous versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bambous $544
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $915 in Bambous versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bambous $915
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,286 in Bambous versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bambous $1,286
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bambous costs roughly 42% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bambous 60% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.34 MUR 202

$2.24 ฿75.6

93.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.18 MUR 1,779

$19.00 ฿641

100.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 MUR 203

$5.55 ฿187

-21.44%

Cappuccino

$2.13 MUR 99.4

$1.67 ฿56.5

27.54%

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

$1.08 MUR 50.1

$0.64 ฿21.53

68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 MUR 20.24

$0.31 ฿10.30

38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 MUR 123

$2.36 ฿79.5

11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MUR 75.8

$3.66 ฿124

-55.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 MUR 53.9

$1.95 ฿65.7

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.72

$1.44 ฿48.45

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MUR 49.89

$1.33 ฿45.01

-19.55%

Eggs

$2.53 MUR 118

$2.28 ฿77.0

10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.22 MUR 243

$16.45 ฿555

-68.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 MUR 152

$2.78 ฿93.8

17.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.16 MUR 194

$9.31 ฿314

-55.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 MUR 99.8

$2.35 ฿79.4

-8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 MUR 125

$0.97 ฿32.78

177.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 MUR 67.3

$1.60 ฿53.9

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 MUR 140

$1.50 ฿50.6

100.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 44.61

$1.28 ฿43.10

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 MUR 43.93

$1.10 ฿37.17

-14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.14

$0.71 ฿23.81

2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MUR 39.11

$0.49 ฿16.36

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 MUR 293

$4.14 ฿140

51.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 MUR 391

$17.52 ฿591

-52.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 MUR 76.6

$1.61 ฿54.5

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 MUR 112

$2.78 ฿93.9

-13.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 MUR 193

$1.16 ฿39.03

257.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 MUR 148

$0.53 ฿17.79

498.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 MUR 996

$2.42 ฿81.7

783.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MUR 64.0

$1.45 ฿48.87

-5.52%

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

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

75.38%

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

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

17.09%

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

$45.44 MUR 2,117

$62.2 ฿2,097

-26.91%

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

$10.66 MUR 497

$12.17 ฿410

-12.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.69 MUR 1,336

$20.12 ฿679

42.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 MUR 303

$6.49 ฿219

0.15%

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

$130 MUR 6,035

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,619 MUR 354.9K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-48.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 MUR 3,589

$53.4 ฿1,800

44.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.9 MUR 3,441

$24.64 ฿831

199.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 MUR 5,671

$91.5 ฿3,086

33.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 MUR 3,633

$71.9 ฿2,426

8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Bambous: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bambous

$173 31.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Bambous

$158 29%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.1% $49

Eating Out

Bambous

$96 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 19.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bambous

$85 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 11.4% $9.7

Getting Around

Bambous

$20 * 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 207% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bambous

$13 * 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 287% $37

Accommodation & Living

Bambous

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Bambous vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $173 vs $234, with Bambous cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Bambous

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

3 h ahead of Bambous

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,300

127,240

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bambous Chiang Mai 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bambous
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $544 in Bambous and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Bambous is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $817 in Bambous and $1,403 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 $130 in Bambous versus $736 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 Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $38 in Bambous. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bambous gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Bambous and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.