Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dar es Salaam

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $699 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Dar es Salaam
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Dar es Salaam Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Dar es Salaam

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 Dar es Salaam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $699 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Dar es Salaam $699

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,111 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Dar es Salaam $1,111

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,523 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Dar es Salaam $1,523

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Dar es Salaam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Dar es Salaam are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Dar es Salaam 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.90 TZS 4,978

20.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$18.67 TZS 48.9K

5.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.60 TZS 19.9K

-26.18%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.89 TZS 4,961

-12.17%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.37 TZS 971

89.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.22 TZS 577

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.96 TZS 2,507

151.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.86 TZS 4,877

99.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.81 TZS 2,133

140.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.57 TZS 1,491

147.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.06 TZS 2,773

23.58%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.90 TZS 4,984

14.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.01 TZS 23.6K

84.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.85 TZS 12.7K

-43.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$3.97 TZS 10.4K

129.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.53 TZS 6,619

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.12 TZS 2,927

-8.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.04 TZS 2,717

56.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.86 TZS 2,249

74.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.95 TZS 2,477

35.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.02 TZS 2,677

8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.81 TZS 2,112

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.39 TZS 1,013

35.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.05 TZS 5,366

110.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.10 TZS 18.6K

152.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.92 TZS 2,399

71.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.60 TZS 4,190

77.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.24 TZS 627

258.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$15.01 TZS 39.3K

254.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.62 TZS 4,235

-25.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.55 TZS 4,070

-63.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$13.03 TZS 34.1K

-81.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.43 TZS 3,745

0.70%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$16.8K TZS 43.9M

23.72%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$26.0K TZS 68.0M

3.27%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$56.9 TZS 149.0K

9.56%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$9.17 TZS 24.0K

32.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$33.33 TZS 87.3K

-40.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$85.5 TZS 224.0K

-56.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$9.88 TZS 25.9K

-61.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.98 TZS 13.1K

30.52%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$576 TZS 1.5M

37.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$13.2K TZS 34.6M

12.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$15.48 TZS 40.5K

247.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$26.19 TZS 68.6K

-5.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$43.77 TZS 114.6K

107.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$58.7 TZS 153.8K

21.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$568 TZS 1.5M

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$191 TZS 500.4K

55.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,352 TZS 3.5M

-32.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$440 TZS 1.2M

25.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,519 TZS 4.0M

27.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,054 TZS 2.8M

37.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$277 TZS 725.1K

113.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.25

-69.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Dar es Salaam

$191 27.3% 35.9% $107

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Dar es Salaam

$151 21.7% 35.7% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.3% 40% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Dar es Salaam

$99 14.2% 5.3% $5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Dar es Salaam

$72 10.2% 8.9% $7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.6% 58.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dar es Salaam

$96 13.7% 90.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $568 in Dar es Salaam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 113% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $19.00 in Dar es Salaam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $151 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,383,728

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, 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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dar es Salaam 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dar es Salaam

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 Dar es Salaam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Dar es Salaam, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,049 in Dar es Salaam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dar es Salaam, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $576 in Dar es Salaam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dar es Salaam, where all-in costs run around $699, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Dar es Salaam 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. Dar es Salaam costs $699 versus $925 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 Dar es Salaam. 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.