Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Matola

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $999 in Matola, rent and utilities included – about $760 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Matola
Learn more

Matola Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Matola

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $999 in Matola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Matola $999

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,523 in Matola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Matola $1,523

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,048 in Matola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Matola $2,048

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Matola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Matola are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Matola 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$7.80 MZN 493

-71.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$62.6 MZN 3,960

-69.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.34 MZN 464

-24.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.59 MZN 100

5.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.82 MZN 52.0

-21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.67 MZN 42.67

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.18 MZN 74.8

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.54 MZN 97.5

137.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.59 MZN 101

22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.99 MZN 62.6

45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.59 MZN 101

-16.35%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.93 MZN 122

18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$13.47 MZN 852

22.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.82 MZN 368

-52.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.76 MZN 301

95.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.97 MZN 125

19.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.62 MZN 39.38

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.64 MZN 103

-2.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.03 MZN 65.4

45.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.00 MZN 63.5

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.74 MZN 47.08

48.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.95 MZN 60.1

-25.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.53 MZN 33.64

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.89 MZN 183

43.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.21 MZN 456

143.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.97 MZN 61.3

65.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.21 MZN 76.8

129.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.61 MZN 102

-27.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.20 MZN 76.1

-55.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$24.12 MZN 1,525

-89.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.40 MZN 88.5

3.57%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$31.4K MZN 2.0M

-32.97%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

19.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$39.21 MZN 2,480

58.56%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.64 MZN 483

59.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$77.9 MZN 4,926

-74.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$39.09 MZN 2,473

-4.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.60 MZN 481

-14.61%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$173 MZN 10.9K

325.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,041 MZN 318.8K

192.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$49.21 MZN 3,113

8.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$56.0 MZN 3,539

-55.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$79.2 MZN 5,011

15.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$77.4 MZN 4,898

-7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$462 MZN 29.2K

4.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$391 MZN 24.7K

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$696 MZN 44.0K

44.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$552 MZN 34.9K

14.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$307 MZN 19.4K

92.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-77.72%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Matola: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Matola

$391 39.1% 26.5% $82

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Matola

$185 18.6% 20.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Matola

$118 11.8% 8.5% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Matola

$125 12.5% 32% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Matola

$118 11.9% 52.6% $41

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Matola

$7.6 * 0.8% 87.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Matola

$54 5.4% 8% $4

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 $462 in Matola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 92% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $63 in Matola. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $185 in Matola – so Matola wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇿 Matola

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

675,422

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.89 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Matola 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Matola

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 Matola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matola costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,498 in Matola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $462 in Matola. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $63 in Matola. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Matola – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $999 in Matola. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $999 in Matola. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.