Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Malawi

Name: Malawi
Address: MW

For one person, living is cheaper in Malawi: $666 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Malawi
Learn more

Malawi Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

🇲🇼 Malawi

$666

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 5.9% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 36% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 14.1% more expensive than Malawi without rent, and 14.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$5.09 MWK 8,739

-58.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$26.28 MWK 45.1K

-26.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$6.55 MWK 11.2K

-16.49%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$3.22 MWK 5,531

-47.83%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.87 MWK 1,490

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.46 MWK 792

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$1.46 MWK 2,506

65.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.92 MWK 5,017

27.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.14 MWK 1,961

80.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.31 MWK 2,253

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$1.72 MWK 2,951

-21.51%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$2.15 MWK 3,693

5.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$7.61 MWK 13.1K

114.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$3.75 MWK 6,446

-28.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$5.71 MWK 9,806

61.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.49 MWK 4,280

-4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.79 MWK 3,074

-41.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$2.26 MWK 3,875

-29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$1.11 MWK 1,913

29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$1.35 MWK 2,321

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.46 MWK 2,506

-23.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.31 MWK 527

125.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$1.29 MWK 2,214

-60.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$2.34 MWK 4,023

76.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$14.48 MWK 24.9K

22.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$1.09 MWK 1,865

49.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.10 MWK 3,614

36.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.83 MWK 1,432

3.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$2.17 MWK 3,734

2349.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$0.61 MWK 1,055

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$2.42 MWK 4,153

-76.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$2.14 MWK 3,675

7.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.52 MWK 2,605

-1.32%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$35.5K MWK 60.9M

-41.21%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$39.7K MWK 68.2M

-32.69%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$38.60 MWK 66.3K

58.70%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$10.11 MWK 17.4K

23.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$76.9 MWK 132.0K

-73.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$36.17 MWK 62.1K

4.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$15.02 MWK 25.8K

-74.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$378 MWK 648.6K

104.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$594 MWK 1.0M

2328.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$43.70 MWK 75.0K

25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$39.41 MWK 67.7K

-35.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$48.86 MWK 83.9K

85.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$69.1 MWK 118.6K

6.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$230 MWK 394.6K

99.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$79.0 MWK 135.7K

271.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$557 MWK 955.6K

65.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$380 MWK 652.1K

45.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$390 MWK 670.2K

270.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$282 MWK 484.0K

110.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malawi: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Malawi

$79 11.9% 73.1% $215

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Malawi

$199 29.9% 15.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Malawi

$90 13.6% 17.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Malawi

$126 18.9% 33.4% $31

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Malawi

$117 17.7% 52.1% $40

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Malawi

$18 2.7% 69.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Malawi

$36 * 5.4% 29.3% $15

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇼 Malawi

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

10:39 10:39 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

18,622,104

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Malawian Kwacha MWK MK

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD

10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MWK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Malawian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,717 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.82 USD). 1 EUR = 1,926 MWK (10,000 MWK = 5.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Malawi 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Malawi

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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