Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Praia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,202 in Praia, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Praia
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Praia Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,202 in Praia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Praia $1,202

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,804 in Praia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Praia $1,804

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,407 in Praia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Praia $2,407

Chiang Mai is about 25% cheaper than Praia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Praia are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Praia 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$5.10 CVE 502

-58.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$36.09 CVE 3,553

-46.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$7.08 CVE 697

-22.74%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.65 CVE 260

-36.60%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$1.60 CVE 157

-58.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$1.19 CVE 117

-71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$2.55 CVE 251

-5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$1.98 CVE 195

88.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.39 CVE 137

48.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$2.04 CVE 200

-28.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$3.54 CVE 349

-61.86%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$2.36 CVE 232

-3.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$26.35 CVE 2,595

-38.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$4.68 CVE 461

-42.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$16.59 CVE 1,634

-44.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$5.11 CVE 503

-53.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$2.97 CVE 292

-64.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$4.08 CVE 402

-60.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$4.33 CVE 427

-66.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$1.48 CVE 146

-12.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.44 CVE 142

-22.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$1.00 CVE 98.0

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$1.50 CVE 147

-66.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$5.29 CVE 521

-21.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$8.33 CVE 820

113.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$1.81 CVE 178

-9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$1.79 CVE 177

60.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.81 CVE 79.5

6.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$29.32 CVE 2,887

81.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$1.75 CVE 173

-30.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$1.22 CVE 120

-54.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.55 CVE 153

-3.23%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$29.1K CVE 2.9M

-28.36%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$37.4K CVE 3.7M

-28.60%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$178 CVE 17.5K

-65.63%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$18.15 CVE 1,787

-31.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$50.8 CVE 5,000

-59.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$32.07 CVE 3,158

18.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$9.98 CVE 983

-62.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$5.60 CVE 551

17.86%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$128 CVE 12.6K

505.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$3,146 CVE 309.7K

358.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$61.9 CVE 6,094

-11.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$25.25 CVE 2,486

0.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$66.0 CVE 6,499

37.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$89.7 CVE 8,835

-18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$586 CVE 57.6K

-21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$291 CVE 28.7K

0.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$890 CVE 87.6K

3.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$471 CVE 46.4K

17.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$1,337 CVE 131.6K

43.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$982 CVE 96.6K

47.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$302 CVE 29.7K

96.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Praia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Praia

$291 24.2% 0.8% $2.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Praia

$350 29.1% 48.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Praia

$109 9.1% 0.4% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Praia

$247 20.6% 163% $153

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Praia

$122 10.1% 57.4% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Praia

$40 3.4% 33.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Praia

$43 3.6% 15.4% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $586 in Praia. 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 96% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $36.00 in Praia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $350 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇻 Praia

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

09:45 9:45 AM

8 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

127,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.45 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Praia 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Praia

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 Praia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Praia costs about 33% 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,803 in Praia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $128 in Praia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Praia, 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 Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Praia at $1,202. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Praia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,202 in Praia. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Praia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.