Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Akure

For one person, living is cheaper in Akure: $276 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
13

Cost of Living Index in Akure
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Akure Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Akure

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $276 in Akure, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Akure $276

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $444 in Akure, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Akure $444

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $613 in Akure, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Akure $613

Chiang Mai costs about 239% more than Akure, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Akure are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Akure 80% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.15 ₦1,542

94.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$8.68 ₦11.6K

118.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.51 ₦10.1K

-26.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.75 ₦3,683

-39.27%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.21 ₦281

204.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.14 ₦191

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.01 ₦1,357

133.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.04 ₦2,734

79.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.46 ₦1,962

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.61 ₦821

136.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.21 ₦1,622

9.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.74 ₦997

208.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.56 ₦4,770

362.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.77 ₦5,059

-26.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$2.33 ₦3,127

299.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.46 ₦1,956

60.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.72 ₦969

34.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.66 ₦880

142.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.87 ₦1,165

72.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.83 ₦1,116

54.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.00 ₦1,334

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.82 ₦1,100

-13.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.37 ₦495

32.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$0.53 ₦714

681.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$2.21 ₦2,965

692.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.50 ₦676

222.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$0.46 ₦623

504.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.70 ₦937

65.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.96 ₦1,283

-44.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.22 ₦2,979

9.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.17 ₦222

752.94%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.0K ₦14.8M

91.06%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$29.1K ₦39.0M

-7.36%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$11.23 ₦15.0K

453.61%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.12 ₦6,860

137.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$9.03 ₦12.1K

122.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.35 ₦8,511

2.20%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$675 ₦904.1K

9.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$20.0K ₦26.8M

-26.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$14.78 ₦19.8K

261.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$18.04 ₦24.2K

36.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$36.10 ₦48.4K

153.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$49.03 ₦65.7K

46.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$36.71 ₦49.2K

1506.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.39

-69.71%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Akure: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Akure

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Akure

$104 37.7% 55.7% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Akure

$53 19.3% 51.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Akure

$25 9.2% 73.1% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Akure

$75 27.3% 3% $2.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Akure

$5.5 * 2% 91.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Akure

$13 * 4.6% 74.7% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 16 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $9 in Akure. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $104 – making Akure the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇬 Akure

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

20:02 8:02 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

387,087

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Akure 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Akure

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 Akure: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $276 in Akure – roughly 239% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $414 in Akure. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $9 in Akure. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 126% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $276 in Akure, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $276 in Akure to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Akure. 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.