Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $835 in Assela.

Chiang Mai $938
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,203 in Assela.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $1,571 in Assela.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Assela $1,571

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 12% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Assela 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.96 ETB 636

-42.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$42.32 ETB 6,793

-54.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.66 ETB 1,069

-16.07%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$0.96 ETB 153

79.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.64 ETB 102

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.68 ETB 109

-51.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$0.83 ETB 133

184.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.20 ETB 353

77.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.05 ETB 169

95.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.17 ETB 188

19.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.22 ETB 357

-42.34%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.78 ETB 286

26.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.18 ETB 1,152

135.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$10.17 ETB 1,632

-73.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$9.17 ETB 1,471

2.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$5.43 ETB 871

-55.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.68 ETB 109

48.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.17 ETB 348

-25.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.66 ETB 106

130.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.47 ETB 75.4

172.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.05 ETB 169

5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.66 ETB 106

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.60 ETB 96.9

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$8.03 ETB 1,290

-46.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$5.49 ETB 881

222.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.66 ETB 106

146.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.22 ETB 196

133.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.29 ETB 207

-9.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.29 ETB 46.58

96.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.03 ETB 325

16.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.90 ETB 144

61.11%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-62.28%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-53.04%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$201 ETB 32.2K

-68.98%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$7.11 ETB 1,141

72.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$209 ETB 33.5K

-90.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$3.83 ETB 614

75.20%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$137 ETB 22.1K

479.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-50.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$33.25 ETB 5,337

60.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-64.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

17.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.5

-69.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Assela

$211 25.3% 11.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Assela

$119 14.3% 8.6% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Assela

$417 50% 341% $322

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Assela

$77 9.2% 2.6% $2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 95.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 85.1% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $42.00 in Assela. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $211, with Assela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

18:52 6:52 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

139,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Assela 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,408 in Chiang Mai and $1,252 in Assela 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 $797 in Chiang Mai versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Assela are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.