Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kaduna

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaduna: $314 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Kaduna
Learn more

Kaduna Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kaduna

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$314

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $314 in Kaduna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kaduna $314

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $553 in Kaduna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kaduna $553

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $792 in Kaduna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kaduna $792

Chiang Mai costs about 198% more than Kaduna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kaduna are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kaduna 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.14 ₦1,533

96.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$18.78 ₦25.2K

1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$1.82 ₦2,435

204.95%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.42 ₦4,587

-51.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.21 ₦283

204.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.06 ₦83.7

416.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.44 ₦587

436.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$0.71 ₦957

415.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.53 ₦2,052

27.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.49 ₦660

193.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.70 ₦932

90.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.29 ₦1,724

76.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$0.72 ₦959

2184.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.33 ₦7,150

-47.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$1.76 ₦2,353

428.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.99 ₦2,666

18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.10 ₦1,475

-11.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.38 ₦513

321.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.59 ₦784

154.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.78 ₦1,046

64.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.77 ₦1,036

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.15 ₦205

373.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.11 ₦149

345.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.97 ₦2,641

110.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$1.84 ₦2,463

852.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 ₦1,643

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.87 ₦2,501

48.66%

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

$0.57 ₦770

103.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.85 ₦1,145

-37.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.84 ₦2,471

31.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.58 ₦781

150.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$26.0K ₦34.8M

-18.93%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$36.9K ₦49.5M

-27.05%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$7.38 ₦9,892

742.41%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.74 ₦5,014

225.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$18.71 ₦25.1K

7.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.49 ₦8,697

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$44.90 ₦60.2K

1539.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$3,124 ₦4.2M

372.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$5.93 ₦7,952

800.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$11.08 ₦14.9K

122.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$11.37 ₦15.2K

704.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$11.21 ₦15.0K

541.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$130 ₦174.2K

271.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$85.1 ₦114.0K

263.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$426 ₦571.2K

136.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$228 ₦305.5K

177.95%

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

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 Kaduna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kaduna

$85 27.1% 72.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kaduna

$103 32.7% 56.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kaduna

$18 5.7% 83.6% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kaduna

$30 9.5% 68.4% $65

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kaduna

$60 19.3% 22.2% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kaduna

$4.9 * 1.6% 92.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kaduna

$13 * 4.1% 74.2% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $130 in Kaduna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Kaduna. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $103 in Kaduna – so Kaduna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇬 Kaduna

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

760,084

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kaduna 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kaduna

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 Kaduna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 198% more than Kaduna, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $470 in Kaduna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaduna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $130 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $314 in Kaduna. That makes Kaduna about 66% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 128% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kaduna, where all-in costs run around $314, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Kaduna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaduna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.