Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
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Chiang Mai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
Learn more

Elmina Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $668 in Elmina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Elmina $668

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,125 in Elmina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Elmina $1,125

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,582 in Elmina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Elmina $1,582

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Elmina are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Elmina 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.82 GHS 91.0

-71.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$50.8 GHS 591

-62.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.26 GHS 119

-45.52%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.46 GHS 51.9

-61.43%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.53 GHS 17.85

-58.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.44 GHS 5.12

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.81 GHS 21.03

30.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.17 GHS 25.19

79.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$3.67 GHS 42.68

-44.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.67 GHS 19.37

-16.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.06 GHS 35.63

-58.17%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.68 GHS 31.21

-16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$12.03 GHS 140

40.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.08 GHS 82.3

-61.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$9.62 GHS 112

-2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.61 GHS 41.93

-33.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.40 GHS 16.32

-27.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.77 GHS 20.58

-9.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.56 GHS 41.44

-57.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.69 GHS 31.29

-52.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.65 GHS 30.82

-58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.72 GHS 8.34

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.60 GHS 7.02

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.51 GHS 29.19

72.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.06 GHS 82.1

151.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.21 GHS 14.10

34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.33 GHS 27.14

22.32%

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

$1.74 GHS 20.29

-32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.26 GHS 14.65

-54.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.30 GHS 50.0

-44.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.34 GHS 15.58

8.21%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

158.74%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

174.41%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$73.7 GHS 857

-15.43%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$19.07 GHS 222

-35.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$42.25 GHS 491

-52.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$12.66 GHS 147

-47.00%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$470 GHS 5,464

69.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

-20.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$14.18 GHS 165

275.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$18.59 GHS 216

34.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$36.74 GHS 427

149.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$52.0 GHS 605

41.24%

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

26.75

-79.18%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 16.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 50.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 42.8% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 113% $89

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 86.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 50.7% $26

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 $51.0 in Elmina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $276 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

34,403

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Elmina 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,001 in Elmina. 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 $51.0 in Elmina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Elmina 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. Elmina costs $668 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 Elmina. 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.