Cost of Living Comparison Between Buea and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Buea and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Buea is 30.1% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 37.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Buea is 46.6% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 40.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.72 FCFA 957
$2.01 ฿64.4
-14.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
-
$18.23 ฿583
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.28 FCFA 3,497
$7.65 ฿244
-17.91%
Cappuccino
$2.16 FCFA 1,201
$1.92 ฿61.3
12.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 FCFA 672
$0.84 ฿26.90
44.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 FCFA 276
$0.36 ฿11.39
38.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.09 FCFA 604
$2.19 ฿70.0
-50.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 FCFA 779
$3.79 ฿121
-63.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.07 FCFA 1,711
$1.64 ฿52.4
87.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.42 FCFA 231
$1.62 ฿51.8
-74.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 FCFA 884
$1.15 ฿36.88
38.26%
Eggs
$2.66 FCFA 1,482
$1.94 ฿62.0
37.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$15.94 ฿510
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
-
$3.10 ฿99.2
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.54 FCFA 2,524
$11.07 ฿354
-58.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 FCFA 2,008
$2.71 ฿86.5
33.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 FCFA 791
$1.18 ฿37.69
20.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.92 FCFA 514
$1.71 ฿54.5
-46.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 FCFA 800
$1.61 ฿51.3
-10.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.71 FCFA 952
$1.39 ฿44.53
23.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 FCFA 805
$1.15 ฿36.70
26.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$0.71 ฿22.76
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 FCFA 379
$0.55 ฿17.60
23.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.57 ฿146
-
Wine (Bottle)
$8.71 FCFA 4,849
$18.87 ฿603
-53.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 FCFA 674
$1.82 ฿58.2
-33.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 FCFA 967
$3.21 ฿103
-45.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.88 ฿28.16
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.89 ฿604
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.27 FCFA 151
$1.41 ฿45.17
-80.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 FCFA 258
$1.30 ฿41.59
-64.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.31 FCFA 2,952
$8.20 ฿262
-35.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 FCFA 699
$1.23 ฿39.18
2.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K FCFA 10.7M
$21.2K ฿677.0K
-8.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.5K FCFA 11.9M
$22.3K ฿713.3K
-3.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.1 FCFA 34.6K
$69.9 ฿2,234
-11.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.60 FCFA 9,793
$14.07 ฿450
25.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$112 FCFA 62.3K
$17.70 ฿566
532.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.53 FCFA 14.8K
$41.41 ฿1,324
-35.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.53 FCFA 2,522
$6.69 ฿214
-32.29%
Cinema Ticket
-
$5.74 ฿184
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$617 FCFA 343.3K
$299 ฿9,566
106.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.92 FCFA 19.4K
$54.8 ฿1,753
-36.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$26.35 ฿842
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$84.7 ฿2,706
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 FCFA 40.0K
$69.7 ฿2,229
3.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$71.3 FCFA 39.7K
$427 ฿13.6K
-83.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$60.8 FCFA 33.8K
$241 ฿7,697
-74.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$811 ฿25.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$216 FCFA 120.2K
$498 ฿15.9K
-56.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,022 ฿64.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,524 ฿48.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buea
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$135 FCFA 75.2K
$639 ฿20.4K
-78.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
5
-

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

Last update for Buea: April 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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