Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Antsirabe

For one person, living is cheaper in Antsirabe: $450 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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 Antsirabe
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Antsirabe Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Antsirabe

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $450 in Antsirabe.

Chiang Mai $936
Antsirabe $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $677 in Antsirabe.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Antsirabe $677

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $903 in Antsirabe.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Antsirabe $903

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 108% more expensive than in Antsirabe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Antsirabe 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.13 MGA 5,165

98.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$15.30 MGA 70.2K

24.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.59 MGA 25.7K

-0.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.36 MGA 6,217

22.79%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.74 MGA 3,406

-13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.44 MGA 2,020

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.97 MGA 4,430

143.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.15 MGA 9,884

70.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.97 MGA 4,445

101.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.01 MGA 4,652

42.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.71 MGA 3,241

87.32%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.03 MGA 9,327

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.29 MGA 38.0K

98.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.24 MGA 19.4K

-34.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.65 MGA 21.3K

100.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.04 MGA 4,770

125.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.53 MGA 2,415

83.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.98 MGA 4,503

63.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.86 MGA 3,933

74.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.55 MGA 2,543

132.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.97 MGA 4,469

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.31 MGA 1,443

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.46 MGA 2,112

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.58 MGA 7,238

162.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.08 MGA 23.3K

244.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.97 MGA 4,433

65.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.77 MGA 8,108

57.06%

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

$3.26 MGA 14.9K

-64.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.95 MGA 8,941

-72.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.53 MGA 20.8K

-46.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.15 MGA 5,283

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.6K MGA 53.0M

82.31%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.2K MGA 115.7M

6.86%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$73.7 MGA 338.2K

-15.68%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.33 MGA 74.9K

-25.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$54.8 MGA 251.6K

-63.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.34 MGA 24.5K

21.54%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$24.61 MGA 112.9K

2891.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$14.7K MGA 67.5M

0.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$28.16 MGA 129.2K

89.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$26.58 MGA 121.9K

-7.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$75.8 MGA 347.7K

20.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$68.3 MGA 313.4K

5.31%

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

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 Antsirabe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Antsirabe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Antsirabe

$136 30.3% 41.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Antsirabe

$89 19.9% 17.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Antsirabe

$145 32.2% 53.4% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Antsirabe

$56 12.4% 27.9% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Antsirabe

$13 * 2.9% 78.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Antsirabe

$11 * 2.4% 78.8% $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 $15 in Antsirabe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $136 per month, with Antsirabe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇬 Antsirabe

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

246,354

💱 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,587 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.18 USD). 1 EUR = 5,107 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.96 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Antsirabe 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Antsirabe

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 Antsirabe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antsirabe is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $675 in Antsirabe 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $450 in Antsirabe – Antsirabe is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Antsirabe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.