Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Butare

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $369 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
Learn more

Butare Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $369 in Butare.

Chiang Mai $936
Butare $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $589 in Butare.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Butare $589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $809 in Butare.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Butare $809

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 154% more expensive than in Butare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Butare 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.74 RWF 4,025

-18.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$30.44 RWF 44.8K

-37.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.82 RWF 10.0K

-18.62%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.39 RWF 3,522

-30.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.81 RWF 1,189

-20.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.55 RWF 807

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.05 RWF 1,544

124.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.35 RWF 3,461

55.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.33 RWF 482

490.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.83 RWF 1,214

73.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.99 RWF 1,460

34.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.60 RWF 2,359

42.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$1.64 RWF 2,413

903.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.42 RWF 3,565

14.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$3.02 RWF 4,450

208.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.00 RWF 2,944

17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.77 RWF 1,126

25.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.18 RWF 1,740

35.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.83 RWF 1,226

80.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.42 RWF 622

204.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.26 RWF 380

323.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.14 RWF 206

407.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.85 RWF 1,253

-42.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.00 RWF 2,937

107.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$10.12 RWF 14.9K

73.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.98 RWF 1,445

64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.56 RWF 2,299

78.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.69 RWF 3,951

-56.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.01 RWF 2,951

-73.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.42 RWF 5,024

-29.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.84 RWF 2,700

-21.20%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$25.6K RWF 37.7M

-17.75%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$29.2K RWF 42.9M

-7.63%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

-24.75%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.03 RWF 10.3K

73.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$21.06 RWF 31.0K

-4.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.30 RWF 4,859

96.67%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$112 RWF 165.5K

554.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

55.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$17.51 RWF 25.8K

204.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$15.43 RWF 22.7K

59.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$22.09 RWF 32.5K

314.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$33.89 RWF 49.9K

112.28%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.2

-65.62%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Butare: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Butare

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Butare

$112 30.5% 52.1% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Butare

$40 10.9% 63.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Butare

$111 30% 17.2% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Butare

$86 23.4% 11.4% $8.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Butare

$13 * 3.5% 79.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Butare

$6.6 * 1.8% 86.9% $44

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 $30 in Butare. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $112, with Butare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇼 Butare

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

62,823

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Butare 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Butare

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 Butare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butare the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $553 in Butare 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 109% 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 $369 in Butare – Butare is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $369 in Butare versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Butare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Butare are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.