Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Accra

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,077 in Accra, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Accra despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
Learn more

Accra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,077 in Accra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Accra $1,077

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,708 in Accra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Accra $1,708

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,340 in Accra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Accra $2,340

Chiang Mai is about 13% cheaper than Accra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Accra are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Accra 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.38 GHS 97.1

-73.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$51.6 GHS 597

-63.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.25 GHS 119

-45.85%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.59 GHS 53.2

-63.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.62 GHS 18.71

-60.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.47 GHS 5.48

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.90 GHS 22.01

24.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.19 GHS 25.32

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$3.59 GHS 41.53

-45.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.62 GHS 18.79

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.08 GHS 35.70

-56.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.62 GHS 30.36

-12.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.92 GHS 138

38.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.37 GHS 85.3

-62.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.96 GHS 115

-6.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.58 GHS 41.45

-34.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.39 GHS 16.06

-30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.78 GHS 20.61

-10.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.73 GHS 43.20

-59.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.79 GHS 32.33

-54.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.77 GHS 32.13

-60.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.74 GHS 8.63

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.62 GHS 7.14

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.63 GHS 30.49

57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.14 GHS 82.6

145.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.25 GHS 14.44

28.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.36 GHS 27.37

17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.52 GHS 17.64

-42.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$41.35 GHS 479

30.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.76 GHS 20.36

-34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.27 GHS 14.74

-58.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.24 GHS 49.04

-42.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.31 GHS 15.17

10.69%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$7,861 GHS 91.0K

167.90%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$20.1K GHS 232.9K

33.96%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$73.3 GHS 849

-15.22%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.53 GHS 226

-37.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$42.72 GHS 495

-52.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$70.6 GHS 818

-47.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$18.31 GHS 212

-79.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.80 GHS 148

-49.30%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$468 GHS 5,418

57.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$18.5K GHS 214.1K

-20.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$14.14 GHS 164

277.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$18.57 GHS 215

32.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$36.87 GHS 427

148.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$52.4 GHS 607

37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$686 GHS 7,942

-29.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$280 GHS 3,247

10.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,077 GHS 12.5K

-6.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$474 GHS 5,492

33.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,839 GHS 32.9K

-16.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,425 GHS 16.5K

11.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$176 GHS 2,034

235.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

26.75

-79.18%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Accra: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Accra

$280 26% 9.2% $29

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Accra

$279 25.9% 19% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Accra

$55 5.1% 49.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Accra

$136 12.6% 43.5% $41

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Accra

$175 16.3% 126% $98

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Accra

$56 5.2% 9.4% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Accra

$96 8.9% 91.4% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $686 in Accra. 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 3.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $52 in Accra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $279 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇭 Accra

🕒 Local time

22:11 10:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,388,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Accra 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Accra

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 Accra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $1,077 in Accra – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,615 in Accra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $686 in Accra.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Accra, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $52 in Accra. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,077 in Accra. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,077 in Accra. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.