Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ambatolampy

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambatolampy: $466 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Ambatolampy
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Ambatolampy Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ambatolampy

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $466 in Ambatolampy.

Chiang Mai $936
Ambatolampy $466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $689 in Ambatolampy.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ambatolampy $689

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $912 in Ambatolampy.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ambatolampy $912

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 101% more expensive than in Ambatolampy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ambatolampy 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.60 MGA 11.9K

-13.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$9.84 MGA 45.0K

93.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.64 MGA 25.8K

-1.60%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.58 MGA 7,247

5.70%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.75 MGA 3,424

-14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.45 MGA 2,053

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.94 MGA 4,317

151.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.14 MGA 9,775

71.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.85 MGA 3,889

129.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.98 MGA 4,478

46.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.70 MGA 3,222

90.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.95 MGA 8,925

16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.48 MGA 38.8K

93.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.39 MGA 20.1K

-36.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.86 MGA 22.2K

91.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.03 MGA 4,716

128.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.56 MGA 2,582

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.03 MGA 4,694

55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.82 MGA 3,735

82.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.54 MGA 2,484

137.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.91 MGA 4,144

20.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.31 MGA 1,437

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.71 MGA 3,255

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.57 MGA 7,168

163.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.83 MGA 22.1K

262.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.01 MGA 4,601

59.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.82 MGA 8,327

52.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.34 MGA 15.3K

-65.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.94 MGA 8,871

-72.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.37 MGA 20.0K

-44.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.83 MGA 3,806

74.70%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$11.7K MGA 53.7M

79.43%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$25.3K MGA 116.0M

6.33%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$71.4 MGA 327.0K

-12.98%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.52 MGA 75.6K

-26.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$54.7 MGA 250.3K

-63.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.37 MGA 24.6K

20.86%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$23.91 MGA 109.4K

2978.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$14.5K MGA 66.5M

1.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$28.41 MGA 130.0K

87.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$26.96 MGA 123.4K

-8.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$75.8 MGA 346.9K

20.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$68.6 MGA 313.8K

4.91%

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 ฿33.9K

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 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

15.75

-64.63%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ambatolampy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ambatolampy

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ambatolampy

$139 29.9% 40.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ambatolampy

$90 19.3% 17.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ambatolampy

$143 30.6% 51% $48

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ambatolampy

$70 15.1% 9.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ambatolampy

$13 * 2.8% 78.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ambatolampy

$11 * 2.3% 78.7% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $10 in Ambatolampy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $139 per month, with Ambatolampy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇬 Ambatolampy

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

32,291

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,577 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,108 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ambatolampy 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ambatolampy

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 Ambatolampy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambatolampy wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambatolampy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $699 in Ambatolampy to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Ambatolampy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ambatolampy – a meal for two runs $10 versus $19 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $466 in Ambatolampy versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambatolampy but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Ambatolampy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.