Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banjul and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjul: $674 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

33

Cost of Living Index in Banjul
Learn more

Banjul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Banjul

🇬🇲 Gambia

$674

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $674 per month in Banjul vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Banjul $674
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $1,184 per month in Banjul vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Banjul $1,184
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $1,695 per month in Banjul vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Banjul $1,695
Chiang Mai $1,864

Banjul is about 26% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Banjul and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Banjul 50% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 GMD 525

$2.13 ฿71.4

242.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 GMD 5,255

$19.40 ฿649

276.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 GMD 570

$5.47 ฿183

44.61%

Cappuccino

$3.76 GMD 271

$1.68 ฿56.4

123.81%

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

$2.66 GMD 192

$0.66 ฿22.10

303.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 GMD 111

$0.34 ฿11.52

352.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 GMD 392

$2.42 ฿81.0

125.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 GMD 320

$3.73 ฿125

19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 GMD 99.4

$2.06 ฿68.9

-33.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 GMD 46.22

$1.46 ฿48.78

-56.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 GMD 93.2

$1.35 ฿45.09

-4.44%

Eggs

$1.97 GMD 142

$2.27 ฿76.0

-13.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 GMD 444

$16.31 ฿546

-62.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.63 GMD 189

$2.70 ฿90.3

-2.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.45 GMD 392

$9.20 ฿308

-40.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 GMD 148

$2.39 ฿80.1

-13.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 GMD 87.5

$1.04 ฿34.66

17.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 GMD 126

$1.60 ฿53.7

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 GMD 95.4

$1.44 ฿48.37

-8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 GMD 63.5

$1.30 ฿43.59

-32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 GMD 72.0

$1.11 ฿37.29

-9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 GMD 18.05

$0.70 ฿23.55

-64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 GMD 43.98

$0.51 ฿16.99

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 GMD 120

$4.13 ฿138

-59.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.29 GMD 453

$17.78 ฿595

-64.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 GMD 110

$1.63 ฿54.7

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 GMD 121

$2.87 ฿96.0

-41.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 GMD 13.40

$0.86 ฿28.76

-77.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.40 GMD 461

$53.2 ฿1,780

-87.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 GMD 51.0

$0.56 ฿18.81

26.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 GMD 297

$2.31 ฿77.5

78.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 GMD 78.0

$1.50 ฿50.2

-28.00%

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

$2,616 GMD 188.4K

$20.9K ฿698.3K

-87.46%

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

$3,205 GMD 230.7K

$26.7K ฿895.0K

-88.01%

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

$30.89 GMD 2,224

$61.3 ฿2,051

-49.58%

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

$14.21 GMD 1,023

$12.50 ฿419

13.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.37 GMD 3,267

$20.36 ฿682

122.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.56 GMD 1,696

$37.94 ฿1,270

-37.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.61 GMD 980

$3.77 ฿126

261.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 GMD 242

$6.60 ฿221

-48.94%

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

$6.59 GMD 474

$774 ฿25.9K

-99.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$136 GMD 9,785

$14.4K ฿483.2K

-99.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 GMD 3,974

$54.8 ฿1,835

0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.48 GMD 3,131

$25.26 ฿846

72.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 GMD 7,129

$90.6 ฿3,032

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 GMD 6,166

$73.3 ฿2,453

16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 GMD 7,247

$459 ฿15.4K

-78.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.2 GMD 5,843

$294 ฿9,835

-72.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 GMD 15.4K

$919 ฿30.8K

-76.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 GMD 9,916

$552 ฿18.5K

-75.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,438 GMD 103.5K

$1,917 ฿64.2K

-25.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 GMD 83.5K

$1,445 ฿48.4K

-19.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$60.6 GMD 4,366

$592 ฿19.8K

-89.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

169.30%

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

Last update for Banjul: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Banjul

$180 26.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 57.1% $103

Groceries & Markets

Banjul

$149 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 58.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Banjul

$127 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 13.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Banjul

$90 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 4% $3.6

Accommodation & Living

Banjul

$81 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 262% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Banjul

$30 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 68.8% $21

Getting Around

Banjul

$11 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 467% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Banjul versus $459 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 run about 877% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Banjul versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $149 in Banjul vs $236 in Chiang Mai – so Banjul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇲 Banjul

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

7 h ahead of Banjul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,356 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 GMD = 1.39 USD

100 GMD = 1.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GMD – Gambian Dalasi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇲 Gambian Dalasi (D)

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 72 GMD (100 GMD = 1.39 USD). 1 EUR = 80.68 GMD (100 GMD = 1.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to GMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Banjul Chiang Mai 12,100 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Banjul
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,010 per month in Banjul and $1,359 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $674 in Banjul and $906 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 34%.

Public transport costs about 730% less in Banjul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Banjul, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Banjul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Banjul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Banjul. 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.