Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Byumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Byumba: $411 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Byumba
Learn more

Byumba Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Byumba

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $411 in Byumba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Byumba $411

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $661 in Byumba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Byumba $661

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $911 in Byumba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Byumba $911

Chiang Mai costs about 128% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Byumba are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Byumba 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.79 RWF 4,098

-19.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$31.03 RWF 45.6K

-38.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.92 RWF 10.2K

-19.22%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.40 RWF 3,529

-28.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.80 RWF 1,172

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.57 RWF 844

-42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.00 RWF 1,471

136.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.30 RWF 3,381

69.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.81 RWF 1,194

153.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.04 RWF 1,525

34.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.32 RWF 1,941

-3.03%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.58 RWF 2,327

42.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$4.25 RWF 6,253

298.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.72 RWF 6,945

-41.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$4.55 RWF 6,696

105.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.36 RWF 3,469

1.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.81 RWF 1,195

24.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.49 RWF 2,184

8.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.03 RWF 1,516

47.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.48 RWF 701

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.72 RWF 1,053

54.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.66 RWF 969

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.83 RWF 1,214

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.02 RWF 2,969

114.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$10.25 RWF 15.1K

72.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.98 RWF 1,441

66.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.53 RWF 2,254

86.27%

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

$2.79 RWF 4,103

-58.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.07 RWF 3,044

-72.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$3.48 RWF 5,117

-31.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.90 RWF 2,792

-23.68%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$26.6K RWF 39.1M

-23.00%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$30.0K RWF 44.0M

-11.50%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$84.7 RWF 124.6K

-26.45%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$7.16 RWF 10.5K

71.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$20.68 RWF 30.4K

-3.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$3.30 RWF 4,855

103.33%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$113 RWF 166.3K

604.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$9,444 RWF 13.9M

57.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$17.53 RWF 25.8K

203.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$15.63 RWF 23.0K

60.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$22.27 RWF 32.7K

311.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$34.25 RWF 50.4K

114.48%

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

16.2

-65.62%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Byumba: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Byumba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Byumba

$152 36.9% 36.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Byumba

$40 9.8% 63.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Byumba

$113 27.4% 19% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Byumba

$87 21.1% 10% $7.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Byumba

$13 * 3.2% 78.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Byumba

$6.6 * 1.6% 87.1% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $31.00 in Byumba. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $152 in Byumba – so Byumba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇼 Byumba

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

43,134

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Byumba 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Byumba

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 Byumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 128% more than Byumba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $617 in Byumba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $31.00 in Byumba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Byumba, where all-in costs run around $411, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Byumba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Byumba costs $411 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Byumba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.