Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bouake

For one person, living is cheaper in Bouake: $749 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bouake
Learn more

Bouake Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bouake

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $749 in Bouake.

Chiang Mai $936
Bouake $749

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,250 in Bouake.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bouake $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,750 in Bouake.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bouake $1,750

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 25% more expensive than in Bouake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bouake 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.59 F CFA 1,526

-13.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$67.8 F CFA 39.9K

-71.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.41 F CFA 6,130

-46.69%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.90 F CFA 1,118

-12.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.72 F CFA 421

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.71 F CFA 415

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.04 F CFA 611

126.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.69 F CFA 994

116.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.00 F CFA 1,180

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.50 F CFA 295

188.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.15 F CFA 677

15.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.18 F CFA 1,283

4.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$25.13 F CFA 14.8K

-34.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.65 F CFA 3,330

-50.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.17 F CFA 4,221

29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.44 F CFA 2,612

-47.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.07 F CFA 630

-9.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.02 F CFA 1,188

-20.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.31 F CFA 1,357

-35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.76 F CFA 1,034

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.61 F CFA 946

-31.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.54 F CFA 319

31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.83 F CFA 492

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.72 F CFA 1,011

140.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.93 F CFA 3,490

195.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.00 F CFA 589

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.18 F CFA 695

135.59%

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

$1.73 F CFA 1,021

-32.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.67 F CFA 985

-68.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$25.82 F CFA 15.2K

-90.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.43 F CFA 845

1.40%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.2K F CFA 16.6M

-25.28%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$26.2K F CFA 15.4M

2.97%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$167 F CFA 98.4K

-62.80%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$21.08 F CFA 12.4K

-42.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$35.38 F CFA 20.8K

-43.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.46 F CFA 4,982

-23.29%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$361 F CFA 212.4K

104.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$4,597 F CFA 2.7M

221.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$90.2 F CFA 53.1K

-40.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$36.95 F CFA 21.8K

-33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$83.9 F CFA 49.4K

9.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$141 F CFA 82.8K

-48.86%

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 Bouake: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bouake

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bouake

$252 33.6% 7.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bouake

$158 21.1% 45.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bouake

$224 29.8% 137% $129

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bouake

$89 11.9% 14.7% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bouake

$10 * 1.4% 83.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bouake

$17 * 2.3% 66.3% $33

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 $68 in Bouake for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $252 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇮 Bouake

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

19:47 7:47 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

832,371

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bouake 11,190 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bouake

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 Bouake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bouake wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bouake the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,124 in Bouake 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.

Shoppers in Chiang Mai pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $749 in Bouake – Bouake is about 20% 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.