Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abomey-Calavi

For one person, living is cheaper in Abomey-Calavi: $712 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Abomey-Calavi
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Abomey-Calavi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Abomey-Calavi

🇧🇯 Benin

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Abomey-Calavi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Abomey-Calavi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $712 in Abomey-Calavi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Abomey-Calavi $712

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,119 in Abomey-Calavi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Abomey-Calavi $1,119

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,526 in Abomey-Calavi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Abomey-Calavi $1,526

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Abomey-Calavi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Abomey-Calavi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Abomey-Calavi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.67 F CFA 3,319

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$25.09 F CFA 14.7K

-24.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.97 F CFA 4,662

-30.36%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.61 F CFA 2,694

-63.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.14 F CFA 666

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

-82.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.71 F CFA 1,003

38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.03 F CFA 2,944

-27.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.18 F CFA 1,276

-10.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.25 F CFA 146

476.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.97 F CFA 1,153

-32.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.92 F CFA 1,120

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.40 F CFA 1,988

383.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.94 F CFA 2,303

-29.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.06 F CFA 3,547

53.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.10 F CFA 1,227

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.87 F CFA 511

11.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.70 F CFA 408

128.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.09 F CFA 1,221

-28.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.93 F CFA 542

37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.76 F CFA 442

44.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.71 F CFA 413

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.88 F CFA 513

-44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$0.41 F CFA 242

909.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.84 F CFA 6,341

61.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.92 F CFA 540

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.09 F CFA 639

155.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.62 F CFA 4,460

609.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.74 F CFA 1,017

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.74 F CFA 1,019

-69.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.20 F CFA 702

20.83%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$118 F CFA 69.0K

-47.27%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$19.68 F CFA 11.5K

-38.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$86.4 F CFA 50.5K

-76.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$33.76 F CFA 19.7K

10.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.18 F CFA 3,029

-27.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.99 F CFA 3,504

8.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$16.82 F CFA 9,837

217.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$8.48 F CFA 4,960

190.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$25.81 F CFA 15.1K

254.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$25.94 F CFA 15.2K

177.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$96.9 F CFA 56.7K

397.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$72.2 F CFA 42.3K

327.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$209 F CFA 122.1K

381.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$275 F CFA 161.0K

130.11%

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

$85.1 F CFA 49.8K

592.90%

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 Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abomey-Calavi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Abomey-Calavi

$72 10.1% 76.6% $237

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Abomey-Calavi

$163 22.9% 30.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Abomey-Calavi

$35 4.9% 68.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abomey-Calavi

$224 31.4% 137% $130

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Abomey-Calavi

$155 21.7% 99.5% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Abomey-Calavi

$18 * 2.5% 70.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Abomey-Calavi

$46 6.4% 9% $4.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $97 in Abomey-Calavi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Abomey-Calavi. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $163 in Abomey-Calavi – so Abomey-Calavi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇯 Abomey-Calavi

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

650,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Abomey-Calavi 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abomey-Calavi

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

Chiang Mai vs Abomey-Calavi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,069 in Abomey-Calavi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abomey-Calavi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $97 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $712 in Abomey-Calavi. That makes Abomey-Calavi about 24% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $25 in Abomey-Calavi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $712 in Abomey-Calavi to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Abomey-Calavi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.