Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $814 in Bissau.

Chiang Mai $935
Bissau $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,314 in Bissau.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bissau $1,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,813 in Bissau.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bissau $1,813

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bissau 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$5.01 F CFA 2,922

-57.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

-27.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$9.31 F CFA 5,433

-39.85%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.71 F CFA 1,000

-2.92%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.05 F CFA 611

-38.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.87 F CFA 508

-65.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$0.71 F CFA 416

226.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.68 F CFA 981

20.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.91 F CFA 533

54.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

-30.50%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.08 F CFA 2,963

-53.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$14.22 F CFA 8,302

16.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$13.39 F CFA 7,816

-80.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$13.77 F CFA 8,038

-34.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$4.14 F CFA 2,414

-42.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.04 F CFA 605

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$4.27 F CFA 2,494

-61.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.18 F CFA 104

766.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$1.33 F CFA 777

-6.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.37 F CFA 800

-20.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$1.26 F CFA 734

-59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$6.78 F CFA 3,956

164.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.31 F CFA 766

23.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$0.86 F CFA 503

227.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.52 F CFA 304

78.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

108.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.43 F CFA 833

2.80%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

-34.63%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

-8.33%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$103 F CFA 60.2K

-39.38%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

-65.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

-55.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

-10.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$759 F CFA 443.2K

-4.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

620.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$516 F CFA 301.3K

-6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$168 F CFA 97.8K

84.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$843 F CFA 492.1K

25.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$431 F CFA 251.7K

52.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,042 F CFA 608.3K

-42.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $516 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $26 in Bissau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $294 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

09:50 9:50 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bissau 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $814 in Bissau, so Bissau is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $516 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $759 in Bissau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Chiang Mai pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bissau gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.