Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho: $683 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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 Ho
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Ho Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

🇬🇭 Ghana

$683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $683 in Ho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ho $683

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,149 in Ho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ho $1,149

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,615 in Ho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ho $1,615

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Ho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Ho are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ho 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.69 GHS 101

-74.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$51.2 GHS 593

-62.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.18 GHS 118

-45.48%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.50 GHS 52.1

-62.89%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.56 GHS 18.07

-58.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.47 GHS 5.48

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.84 GHS 21.27

28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.20 GHS 25.49

66.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$3.57 GHS 41.36

-45.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.66 GHS 19.21

-13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.10 GHS 35.89

-57.10%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.60 GHS 30.13

-12.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.85 GHS 137

38.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.48 GHS 86.6

-62.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.09 GHS 117

-7.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.75 GHS 43.37

-37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.41 GHS 16.27

-31.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.78 GHS 20.60

-10.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.53 GHS 40.89

-57.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.79 GHS 32.32

-54.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.78 GHS 32.19

-60.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.75 GHS 8.63

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.58 GHS 6.68

-15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.53 GHS 29.31

63.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.03 GHS 81.5

149.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.29 GHS 14.95

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.40 GHS 27.79

15.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.75 GHS 20.22

-33.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.32 GHS 15.28

-59.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.37 GHS 50.6

-44.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.36 GHS 15.69

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$7,868 GHS 91.1K

167.67%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$20.2K GHS 234.5K

33.05%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$74.6 GHS 863

-16.62%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.63 GHS 227

-38.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$43.36 GHS 502

-53.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.15 GHS 152

-50.65%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$463 GHS 5,366

58.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$18.8K GHS 218.1K

-21.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$14.51 GHS 168

267.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$18.97 GHS 220

29.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$36.41 GHS 422

151.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$53.2 GHS 616

35.28%

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 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿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 26, 2026

Last update for Ho: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

$279 40.9% 19.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

$55 8.1% 49% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

$138 20.2% 45.6% $43

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

$176 25.7% 127% $98

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

$8.3 * 1.2% 86.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

$26 * 3.9% 47.7% $24

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 $51 in Ho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $279 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇭 Ho

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

18:49 6:49 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

83,715

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ho 10,660 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ho

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 Ho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Ho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,024 in Ho. 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 $51 in Ho. 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $683 in Ho, 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 $683 in Ho to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.