Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abuja

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $991 in Abuja, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abuja outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
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Abuja Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$991

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Abuja

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 Abuja actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $991 in Abuja.

Chiang Mai $936
Abuja $991

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,872 in Abuja.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Abuja $1,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,753 in Abuja.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Abuja $2,753

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 6% less than in Abuja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Abuja 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.94 ₦2,611

15.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$30.33 ₦40.8K

-37.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.08 ₦5,483

36.03%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.28 ₦4,415

-49.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.43 ₦575

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.71 ₦959

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.97 ₦1,306

143.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.97 ₦2,656

85.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$3.59 ₦4,830

-45.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.29 ₦1,737

11.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.27 ₦3,058

-41.41%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.81 ₦2,428

25.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.11 ₦14.9K

48.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.35 ₦7,189

-48.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.82 ₦7,822

59.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.07 ₦2,785

13.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.50 ₦2,013

-35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.52 ₦2,046

5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.29 ₦3,078

-34.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.79 ₦2,401

-28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.48 ₦3,335

-55.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.59 ₦797

20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.39 ₦528

25.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.96 ₦2,633

111.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.83 ₦7,845

200.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.20 ₦1,610

34.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.85 ₦2,492

50.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.46 ₦622

89.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$32.58 ₦43.8K

66.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.61 ₦826

90.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.81 ₦1,090

-34.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.85 ₦2,482

30.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.57 ₦768

154.39%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$26.1K ₦35.1M

-19.35%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$37.3K ₦50.2M

-27.82%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$110 ₦148.3K

-43.62%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.48 ₦8,717

87.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.14 ₦39.2K

-30.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.74 ₦34.6K

44.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$9.62 ₦12.9K

-60.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.31 ₦8,485

2.85%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$44.68 ₦60.1K

1547.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$3,103 ₦4.2M

375.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$26.03 ₦35.0K

105.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$60.8 ₦81.7K

-59.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$76.5 ₦102.9K

19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$105 ₦141.8K

-31.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$589 ₦792.6K

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$348 ₦467.4K

-11.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,405 ₦1.9M

-28.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,346 ₦1.8M

-52.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$699 ₦940.4K

237.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$378 ₦508.7K

320.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$162 ₦218.3K

263.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.5

-75.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abuja: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Abuja

$348 35.1% 12.5% $39

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Abuja

$218 22% 6.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Abuja

$121 12.2% 11.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abuja

$146 14.7% 54.4% $51

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Abuja

$81 8.1% 3.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Abuja

$39 4% 36.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Abuja

$38 3.9% 23.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $589 in Abuja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $30 in Abuja. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $218, with Abuja cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇬 Abuja

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

776,298 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Abuja 9,840 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abuja

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 Abuja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $991 in Abuja, so Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Chiang Mai is about 3.6 times higher, 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $589 in Abuja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $991 in Abuja – Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 40% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.