Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jos

For one person, living is cheaper in Jos: $534 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Jos
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Jos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$534

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $534 in Jos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jos $534

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,097 in Jos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jos $1,097

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,661 in Jos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jos $1,661

Chiang Mai costs about 75% more than Jos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Jos are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jos 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.04 ₦2,738

9.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$30.16 ₦40.6K

-37.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.97 ₦5,343

39.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.25 ₦4,373

-48.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.43 ₦573

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.67 ₦899

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.02 ₦1,371

131.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.98 ₦2,667

84.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$3.70 ₦4,975

-47.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.87 ₦1,175

65.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.19 ₦2,941

-39.27%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.79 ₦2,405

27.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.95 ₦13.4K

65.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.02 ₦6,751

-44.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.02 ₦5,403

131.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.00 ₦2,684

17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.45 ₦1,946

-33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.51 ₦2,032

5.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.27 ₦3,057

-33.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.78 ₦2,398

-28.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.41 ₦3,240

-54.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.59 ₦788

20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.40 ₦536

22.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.95 ₦2,628

112.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.93 ₦7,977

195.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.20 ₦1,611

34.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.77 ₦2,380

57.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.58 ₦783

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.87 ₦1,170

-39.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.83 ₦2,462

32.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.54 ₦725

168.52%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$25.7K ₦34.5M

-17.91%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$36.3K ₦48.8M

-25.71%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$100 ₦135.0K

-38.05%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.50 ₦8,742

87.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.97 ₦39.0K

-30.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$39.52 ₦53.2K

-5.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.03 ₦16.2K

-68.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.22 ₦8,360

4.34%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$44.67 ₦60.1K

1547.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,001 ₦1.3M

1374.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$10.09 ₦13.6K

428.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$14.98 ₦20.1K

64.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$51.0 ₦68.6K

79.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$50.1 ₦67.4K

43.62%

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

$554 ₦745.7K

81.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$483 ₦648.9K

31.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,030 ₦2.7M

16.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,485 ₦2.0M

7.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$102 ₦136.9K

479.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.5

-75.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jos

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jos

$203 38.1% 13.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jos

$57 10.6% 47.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jos

$136 25.5% 43.8% $41

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jos

$81 15.1% 4% $3.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jos

$4.9 * 0.9% 92% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jos

$52 9.7% 3.3% $1.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Jos. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $203 in Jos – so Jos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇬 Jos

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

00:14 12:14 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

900,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jos 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jos

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 Jos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 75% more than Jos, 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 $800 in Jos. 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 $30 in Jos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 $534 in Jos, 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 $534 in Jos to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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