Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byumba and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Byumba: $411 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Byumba
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Byumba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Byumba

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$411

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $411 per month in Byumba vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Byumba $411
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $661 per month in Byumba vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Byumba $661
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $911 per month in Byumba vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Byumba $911
Chiang Mai $1,914

Byumba is about 56% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Byumba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Byumba 70% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.79 RWF 4,098

$2.26 ฿75.4

23.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.03 RWF 45.6K

$19.18 ฿641

61.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 RWF 10.2K

$5.59 ฿187

23.79%

Cappuccino

$2.40 RWF 3,529

$1.72 ฿57.6

39.53%

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

$0.80 RWF 1,172

$0.64 ฿21.54

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 RWF 844

$0.33 ฿11.18

72.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 RWF 1,471

$2.36 ฿78.7

-57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RWF 3,381

$3.90 ฿130

-41.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 RWF 1,194

$2.05 ฿68.6

-60.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RWF 1,525

$1.40 ฿46.70

-25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 RWF 1,941

$1.28 ฿42.89

3.13%

Eggs

$1.58 RWF 2,327

$2.25 ฿75.3

-29.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.25 RWF 6,253

$16.94 ฿566

-74.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.72 RWF 6,945

$2.74 ฿91.6

72.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 RWF 6,696

$9.36 ฿313

-51.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 RWF 3,469

$2.40 ฿80.3

-1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 RWF 1,195

$1.01 ฿33.92

-19.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RWF 2,184

$1.61 ฿53.9

-7.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 RWF 1,516

$1.52 ฿50.7

-32.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 RWF 701

$1.28 ฿42.90

-62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RWF 1,053

$1.11 ฿37.22

-35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RWF 969

$0.72 ฿24.09

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$0.52 ฿17.54

59.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 RWF 2,969

$4.33 ฿145

-53.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 RWF 15.1K

$17.73 ฿593

-42.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RWF 1,441

$1.63 ฿54.4

-39.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 RWF 2,254

$2.85 ฿95.3

-46.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 RWF 4,103

$1.17 ฿39.18

138.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 RWF 3,044

$0.57 ฿19.00

263.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 RWF 5,117

$2.37 ฿79.2

46.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 RWF 2,792

$1.45 ฿48.32

31.03%

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

$26.6K RWF 39.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

29.87%

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

$30.0K RWF 44.0M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

13.00%

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

$84.7 RWF 124.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

35.95%

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

$7.16 RWF 10.5K

$12.27 ฿410

-41.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.68 RWF 30.4K

$19.97 ฿668

3.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$3.30 RWF 4,855

$6.71 ฿224

-50.82%

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

$113 RWF 166.3K

$797 ฿26.6K

-85.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,444 RWF 13.9M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-36.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.53 RWF 25.8K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-67.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.63 RWF 23.0K

$25.05 ฿837

-37.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.27 RWF 32.7K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-75.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.25 RWF 50.4K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-53.38%

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 %)

16.2

5.57

190.84%

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

Last update for Byumba: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Byumba

$152 36.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 56.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byumba

$113 27.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 16% $18

Eating Out

Byumba

$87 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 9.1% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Byumba

$40 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 171% $69

Getting Around

Byumba

$13 * 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 367% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Byumba

$6.6 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 678% $45

Accommodation & Living

Byumba

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Byumba versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $152 in Byumba vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Byumba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Byumba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

5 h ahead of Byumba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,134

127,240

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 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 RWF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Byumba Chiang Mai 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Byumba
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 128% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $617 per month in Byumba and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Byumba and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Byumba, where all-in costs run around $411, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Byumba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Byumba costs $411 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Byumba. 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.