Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Bissau versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Bissau $814
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,314 in Bissau versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Bissau $1,314
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,813 in Bissau versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Bissau $1,813
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Bissau costs roughly 13% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bissau 40% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

$2.13 ฿71.2

135.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

$18.62 ฿622

38.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

$5.60 ฿187

66.25%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

$1.66 ฿55.5

3.01%

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

$1.05 F CFA 611

$0.65 ฿21.59

61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 509

$0.30 ฿10.18

190.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$2.32 ฿77.5

-69.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$2.02 ฿67.3

-16.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 F CFA 533

$1.41 ฿47.00

-35.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

$1.39 ฿46.46

43.88%

Eggs

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

$2.37 ฿79.0

114.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

$16.52 ฿551

-13.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

$2.67 ฿89.1

401.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

$9.02 ฿301

52.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

$2.40 ฿80.1

72.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 605

$1.04 ฿34.76

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

$1.66 ฿55.4

157.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.18 F CFA 104

$1.56 ฿52.0

-88.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 777

$1.24 ฿41.31

7.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 F CFA 800

$1.09 ฿36.27

25.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 F CFA 734

$0.51 ฿17.16

147.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

$17.93 ฿598

-62.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 F CFA 766

$1.62 ฿54.2

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 504

$2.82 ฿94.2

-69.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 F CFA 304

$0.93 ฿31.19

-44.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

$52.9 ฿1,766

-52.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 F CFA 833

$1.47 ฿49.16

-2.72%

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

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

$21.0K ฿701.4K

52.98%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$26.5K ฿885.1K

9.09%

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

$103 F CFA 60.3K

$62.6 ฿2,088

64.96%

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

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

$11.60 ฿387

193.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

$20.30 ฿678

126.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

$37.88 ฿1,264

11.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

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

$759 F CFA 443.4K

$727 ฿24.3K

4.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-86.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 F CFA 301.4K

$481 ฿16.1K

7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 F CFA 97.9K

$310 ฿10.3K

-45.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 F CFA 492.4K

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-20.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 F CFA 251.8K

$659 ฿22.0K

-34.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

75.20%

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 Bissau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Bissau and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Bissau vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

7 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bissau Chiang Mai 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $814 in Bissau and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Bissau is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% higher in Bissau, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $516 in Bissau versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Chiang Mai pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bissau 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.