Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nyamata

For one person, living is cheaper in Nyamata: $569 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Nyamata
Learn more

Nyamata Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Nyamata

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $569 in Nyamata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Nyamata $569

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $899 in Nyamata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Nyamata $899

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,229 in Nyamata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Nyamata $1,229

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than Nyamata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nyamata are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Nyamata 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.75 RWF 4,048

-17.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$11.79 RWF 17.3K

62.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.65 RWF 9,779

-15.94%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.71 RWF 2,510

0.58%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.71 RWF 1,039

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.38 RWF 560

-13.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.04 RWF 1,528

126.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.71 RWF 2,509

128.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.82 RWF 1,200

150.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.78 RWF 1,145

79.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.28 RWF 1,878

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.61 RWF 2,367

39.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$3.55 RWF 5,224

377.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.67 RWF 3,927

2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$4.12 RWF 6,055

127.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.47 RWF 3,629

-2.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.40 RWF 587

152.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.70 RWF 1,032

130.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.56 RWF 820

171.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.49 RWF 718

161.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.77 RWF 1,128

44.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.35 RWF 521

105.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.71 RWF 1,044

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.33 RWF 1,958

225.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$10.32 RWF 15.2K

71.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.03 RWF 1,512

58.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.58 RWF 2,326

80.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$30.74 RWF 45.2K

75.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.64 RWF 3,886

-55.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.00 RWF 2,945

-71.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$3.14 RWF 4,616

-24.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.23 RWF 1,810

17.89%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$26.4K RWF 38.8M

-22.49%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$23.8K RWF 35.0M

11.26%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$85.3 RWF 125.4K

-26.94%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$7.19 RWF 10.6K

70.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$17.12 RWF 25.2K

16.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$102 RWF 150.6K

-62.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$1.99 RWF 2,930

237.19%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$114 RWF 167.3K

600.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$9,358 RWF 13.8M

58.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$17.24 RWF 25.3K

208.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$15.65 RWF 23.0K

60.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$22.03 RWF 32.4K

315.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$34.32 RWF 50.5K

114.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$100.0 RWF 147.0K

364.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$67.9 RWF 99.8K

348.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$343 RWF 503.9K

167.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$240 RWF 353.5K

129.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$180 RWF 264.8K

230.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.2

-65.62%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nyamata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Nyamata

$68 11.9% 77.7% $237

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Nyamata

$126 22.2% 47% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Nyamata

$40 7.1% 63.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Nyamata

$110 19.3% 15.9% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Nyamata

$75 13.3% 4.5% $3.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Nyamata

$43 * 7.6% 29.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Nyamata

$106 18.7% 107% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $100.0 in Nyamata. 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 230% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $12.00 in Nyamata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $126 – making Nyamata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇼 Nyamata

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

21,509

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Nyamata 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nyamata

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 Nyamata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than Nyamata, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $853 in Nyamata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nyamata, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $114 in Nyamata. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 89% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nyamata, where all-in costs run around $569, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Nyamata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nyamata costs $569 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nyamata. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.