Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nouakchott

For one person, living is cheaper in Nouakchott: $807 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Nouakchott
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Nouakchott Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nouakchott

🇲🇷 Mauritania

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $807 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nouakchott $807

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,326 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nouakchott $1,326

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,845 in Nouakchott, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nouakchott $1,845

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Nouakchott, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nouakchott are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nouakchott 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.54 MRU 102

-11.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$24.12 MRU 968

-21.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.97 MRU 240

-7.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 MRU 68.7

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 MRU 67.8

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.32 MRU 93.1

-28.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.79 MRU 71.8

-64.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$2.12 MRU 85.3

-85.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.61 MRU 64.5

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.28 MRU 11.36

414.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.38 MRU 55.3

-3.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.25 MRU 90.4

1.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.01 MRU 241

173.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.47 MRU 220

-49.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.31 MRU 293

27.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.24 MRU 130

-27.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.82 MRU 73.2

-46.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.55 MRU 62.3

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.16 MRU 46.58

29.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.93 MRU 37.54

37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.88 MRU 35.41

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.73 MRU 29.19

-2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.61 MRU 24.49

-19.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$10.25 MRU 411

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 MRU 105

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 MRU 68.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.45 MRU 98.3

68.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.47 MRU 18.92

85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$21.95 MRU 881

146.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.90 MRU 36.18

28.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.38 MRU 15.38

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.54 MRU 142

-31.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.41 MRU 56.8

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$7,363 MRU 295.6K

186.01%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$8,951 MRU 359.4K

200.99%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$127 MRU 5,103

-51.09%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$21.88 MRU 879

-44.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$59.2 MRU 2,375

-65.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$85.1 MRU 3,415

-56.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$249 MRU 10.0K

-98.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.08 MRU 164

59.07%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$449 MRU 18.0K

64.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,617 MRU 305.8K

93.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$15.34 MRU 616

247.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$22.81 MRU 916

8.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$67.8 MRU 2,721

34.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$46.43 MRU 1,864

54.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$288 MRU 11.6K

67.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$174 MRU 6,999

77.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$728 MRU 29.2K

38.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$317 MRU 12.7K

99.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$641 MRU 25.8K

-8.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-72.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nouakchott: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nouakchott

$174 21.6% 43.6% $135

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nouakchott

$155 19.2% 34% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nouakchott

$69 8.5% 36.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nouakchott

$208 25.8% 120% $114

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nouakchott

$82 10.1% 5.3% $4.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nouakchott

$27 3.3% 56.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nouakchott

$93 11.6% 85.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $288 in Nouakchott. 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 9% higher in Nouakchott, 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 $24 in Nouakchott. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $155 in Nouakchott – so Nouakchott wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇷 Nouakchott

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

14:55 2:55 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

958,399 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritanian Ouguiya MRU UM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MRU = 2.49 USD

100 MRU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MRU, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mauritanian Ouguiya exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 MRU (100 MRU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.81 MRU (100 MRU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nouakchott 11,810 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nouakchott

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 Nouakchott: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Nouakchott, 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 $1,211 in Nouakchott. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nouakchott, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $449 in Nouakchott. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $807 in Nouakchott. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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