Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kumasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumasi: $495 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kumasi
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Kumasi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kumasi

🇬🇭 Ghana

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $495 in Kumasi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kumasi $495

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $816 in Kumasi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kumasi $816

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,137 in Kumasi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kumasi $1,137

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Kumasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kumasi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kumasi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.45 GHS 40.13

-35.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$33.93 GHS 395

-44.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.33 GHS 120

-46.27%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.09 GHS 12.70

53.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.71 GHS 8.32

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.27 GHS 3.17

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.93 GHS 10.80

153.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.71 GHS 19.91

114.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.79 GHS 20.89

8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.61 GHS 18.73

-10.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.69 GHS 19.72

-21.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.39 GHS 27.85

-4.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.79 GHS 67.5

184.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.55 GHS 53.0

-38.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.79 GHS 55.8

94.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.74 GHS 20.31

35.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.88 GHS 10.31

10.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.88 GHS 10.29

81.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.16 GHS 25.21

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.73 GHS 20.16

-26.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.26 GHS 14.65

-12.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.71 GHS 8.25

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.60 GHS 7.03

-18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$0.84 GHS 9.80

392.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$1.32 GHS 15.39

1227.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 GHS 14.33

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.33 GHS 27.14

19.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.55 GHS 6.36

58.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$20.62 GHS 240

162.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.84 GHS 9.81

38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.32 GHS 15.34

-59.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.67 GHS 19.44

44.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.14 GHS 13.31

27.19%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$8,015 GHS 93.4K

162.75%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$20.3K GHS 236.6K

32.64%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$43.47 GHS 506

43.02%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.28 GHS 225

-36.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$43.32 GHS 505

-53.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$29.97 GHS 349

24.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.11 GHS 153

-50.50%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$458 GHS 5,341

60.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$5,431 GHS 63.3K

171.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$14.26 GHS 166

274.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$18.46 GHS 215

33.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$36.90 GHS 430

147.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$52.3 GHS 609

37.53%

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 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$415 GHS 4,840

41.95%

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 Kumasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kumasi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kumasi

$164 33.2% 29.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kumasi

$55 11.1% 49.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kumasi

$106 21.4% 12.3% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kumasi

$84 16.9% 7.8% $6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kumasi

$30 6.1% 50.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kumasi

$56 11.3% 11.8% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 42% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Kumasi. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $164 in Kumasi – so Kumasi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇭 Kumasi

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,517,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 GHS = 8.58 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 11.65 GHS (100 GHS = 8.58 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kumasi 10,870 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kumasi

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 Kumasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Kumasi, 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 $743 in Kumasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $458 in Kumasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% 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 $495 in Kumasi, 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 $495 in Kumasi to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kumasi. 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.