Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $837 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $837 in Hawassa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Hawassa $837

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,203 in Hawassa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Hawassa $1,203

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,569 in Hawassa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Hawassa $1,569

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Hawassa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hawassa 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.97 ETB 639

-43.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$42.89 ETB 6,906

-55.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.65 ETB 1,070

-16.54%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$0.88 ETB 142

89.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.58 ETB 94.2

10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.65 ETB 104

-52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.82 ETB 133

187.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.28 ETB 367

60.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.06 ETB 171

83.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.22 ETB 196

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.98 ETB 157

35.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.53 ETB 246

49.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.34 ETB 1,182

124.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$9.99 ETB 1,608

-72.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.38 ETB 1,510

-0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$5.27 ETB 849

-55.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.65 ETB 105

49.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.16 ETB 347

-25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.66 ETB 107

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.50 ETB 79.7

156.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.10 ETB 176

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.65 ETB 105

9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.62 ETB 99.2

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.89 ETB 1,270

-47.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$5.48 ETB 882

219.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.72 ETB 115

123.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.26 ETB 204

120.63%

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

$1.30 ETB 209

-10.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.29 ETB 46.86

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.97 ETB 317

22.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.97 ETB 156

49.48%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

-61.82%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$56.1K ETB 9.0M

-51.95%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$207 ETB 33.3K

-69.96%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.40 ETB 1,191

64.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$213 ETB 34.3K

-90.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.65 ETB 587

77.81%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$628 ETB 101.1K

17.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

-51.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$32.89 ETB 5,295

62.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$70.7 ETB 11.4K

-65.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$77.1 ETB 12.4K

18.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$81.3 ETB 13.1K

-11.46%

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

$502 ETB 80.8K

216.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.5

-69.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Hawassa

$206 24.6% 12.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Hawassa

$118 14.1% 8.5% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hawassa

$428 51.1% 353% $333

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Hawassa

$76 9.1% 2.2% $1.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hawassa

$2.8 * 0.3% 95.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hawassa

$7.3 * 0.9% 85.5% $43

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 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Hawassa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $206 in Hawassa – so Hawassa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

10:32 10:32 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

160,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, 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 = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hawassa 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,256 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $43 in Hawassa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $837 in Hawassa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $837 in Hawassa to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.