Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Buea Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Buea

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 43.1% more expensive than Buea without rent, and 61.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 87.2% more expensive than Buea without rent, and 67.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 ฿64.4
$1.72 FCFA 957
16.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.23 ฿583
-
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 ฿244
$6.28 FCFA 3,497
21.82%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ฿61.3
$2.16 FCFA 1,201
-11.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ฿26.90
$1.21 FCFA 672
-30.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ฿11.39
$0.50 FCFA 276
-28.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 ฿70.0
$1.09 FCFA 604
100.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$1.40 FCFA 779
170.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿52.4
$3.07 FCFA 1,711
-46.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿51.8
$0.42 FCFA 231
285.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.88
$1.59 FCFA 884
-27.67%
Eggs
$1.94 ฿62.0
$2.66 FCFA 1,482
-27.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 ฿510
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ฿99.2
-
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 ฿354
$4.54 FCFA 2,524
143.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 ฿86.5
$3.61 FCFA 2,008
-24.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 ฿37.69
$1.42 FCFA 791
-16.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿54.5
$0.92 FCFA 514
85.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$1.44 FCFA 800
11.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 ฿44.53
$1.71 FCFA 952
-18.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.70
$1.45 FCFA 805
-20.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿22.76
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿17.60
$0.68 FCFA 379
-19.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.57 ฿146
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$18.87 ฿603
$8.71 FCFA 4,849
116.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.2
$1.21 FCFA 674
50.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿103
$1.74 FCFA 967
84.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ฿28.16
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.89 ฿604
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ฿45.17
$0.27 FCFA 151
422.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 ฿41.59
$0.46 FCFA 258
182.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 ฿262
$5.31 FCFA 2,952
54.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.18
$1.26 FCFA 699
-2.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿677.0K
$19.3K FCFA 10.7M
9.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ฿713.3K
$21.5K FCFA 11.9M
4.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.9 ฿2,234
$62.1 FCFA 34.6K
12.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.07 ฿450
$17.60 FCFA 9,793
-20.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.70 ฿566
$112 FCFA 62.3K
-84.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.41 ฿1,324
$26.53 FCFA 14.8K
56.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ฿214
$4.53 FCFA 2,522
47.68%
Cinema Ticket
$5.74 ฿184
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$299 ฿9,566
$617 FCFA 343.3K
-51.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,753
$34.92 FCFA 19.4K
56.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.35 ฿842
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.7 ฿2,706
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 ฿2,229
$71.9 FCFA 40.0K
-2.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$71.3 FCFA 39.7K
498.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ฿7,697
$60.8 FCFA 33.8K
295.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ฿25.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿15.9K
$216 FCFA 120.2K
130.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,022 ฿64.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,524 ฿48.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Buea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$639 ฿20.4K
$135 FCFA 75.2K
373.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
0
-

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

Last update for Buea: April 13, 2026

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

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