Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ouagadougou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,158 in Ouagadougou, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Ouagadougou
Learn more

Ouagadougou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ouagadougou

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

$1,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,158 in Ouagadougou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ouagadougou $1,158

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,908 in Ouagadougou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ouagadougou $1,908

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,658 in Ouagadougou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ouagadougou $2,658

Chiang Mai is about 19% cheaper than Ouagadougou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ouagadougou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ouagadougou 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.06 F CFA 4,147

-68.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$25.18 F CFA 14.8K

-24.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.34 F CFA 4,311

-24.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.04 F CFA 1,199

-18.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.05 F CFA 615

-39.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.10 F CFA 647

-71.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.20 F CFA 707

96.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.62 F CFA 1,541

39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.95 F CFA 1,147

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.12 F CFA 661

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.84 F CFA 491

58.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.52 F CFA 1,482

-9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$16.97 F CFA 9,968

-3.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$20.39 F CFA 12.0K

-86.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.70 F CFA 8,635

-36.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.61 F CFA 2,709

-49.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.34 F CFA 1,962

-52.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.79 F CFA 2,226

-60.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.52 F CFA 890

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.66 F CFA 974

-33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.30 F CFA 764

-45.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.35 F CFA 792

-63.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.28 F CFA 752

223.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.02 F CFA 3,535

191.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.44 F CFA 844

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.54 F CFA 1,490

9.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.15 F CFA 85.7

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.52 F CFA 306

123.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.81 F CFA 475

-34.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$8.54 F CFA 5,017

-71.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.43 F CFA 837

1.40%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$36.8K F CFA 21.6M

-42.80%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$31.4K F CFA 18.4M

-14.12%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$176 F CFA 103.2K

-64.62%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$26.04 F CFA 15.3K

-53.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$54.0 F CFA 31.7K

-62.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$59.2 F CFA 34.8K

-36.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.27 F CFA 4,854

-54.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.71 F CFA 3,941

-3.28%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$33.99 F CFA 20.0K

2065.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$6,080 F CFA 3.6M

142.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$34.58 F CFA 20.3K

54.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$50.6 F CFA 29.7K

-51.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$86.4 F CFA 50.7K

5.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$103 F CFA 60.4K

-30.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$337 F CFA 198.1K

43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$228 F CFA 133.6K

35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,312 F CFA 770.3K

-23.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$738 F CFA 433.7K

-14.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$849 F CFA 498.8K

178.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$251 F CFA 147.6K

532.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$607 F CFA 356.5K

-2.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-53.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ouagadougou: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ouagadougou

$228 19.7% 26.4% $81

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ouagadougou

$350 * 30.3% 49.4% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ouagadougou

$123 10.7% 13.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ouagadougou

$256 22.1% 171% $161

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ouagadougou

$123 10.6% 58.4% $45

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ouagadougou

$5.2 * 0.4% 91.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ouagadougou

$73 6.3% 44.4% $22

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 $337 in Ouagadougou. 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 3% higher in Ouagadougou, 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 $25 in Ouagadougou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $350 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇫 Ouagadougou

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

10:54 10:54 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,915,102 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ouagadougou 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ouagadougou

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 Ouagadougou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ouagadougou costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,736 in Ouagadougou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ouagadougou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $25 in Ouagadougou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Ouagadougou, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,158 in Ouagadougou. 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 $1,158 in Ouagadougou. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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