Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Saint-Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $837 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Saint-Louis

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 Saint-Louis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $837 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Saint-Louis $837

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,315 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Saint-Louis $1,315

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,792 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Saint-Louis $1,792

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Saint-Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Saint-Louis are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Saint-Louis 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.45 F CFA 2,009

-33.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$53.3 F CFA 31.1K

-63.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$11.12 F CFA 6,484

-49.55%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.34 F CFA 1,950

-50.30%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.24 F CFA 725

-43.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.91 F CFA 529

-65.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.68 F CFA 982

43.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.37 F CFA 2,545

-15.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$2.59 F CFA 1,509

-24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.27 F CFA 158

422.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.65 F CFA 963

-20.61%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.40 F CFA 1,399

-9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$17.50 F CFA 10.2K

-4.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$9.12 F CFA 5,315

-69.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$10.94 F CFA 6,378

-16.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.24 F CFA 1,888

-26.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

-44.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.97 F CFA 1,729

-45.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.79 F CFA 1,042

-16.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.36 F CFA 791

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.92 F CFA 535

20.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.09 F CFA 636

-33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.68 F CFA 397

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.18 F CFA 1,272

97.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$17.00 F CFA 9,911

5.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.53 F CFA 891

3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.33 F CFA 1,942

-14.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.86 F CFA 502

40.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.19 F CFA 1,279

-73.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$16.98 F CFA 9,899

-86.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.61 F CFA 939

-10.56%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$50.3K F CFA 29.3M

-58.79%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$47.3K F CFA 27.6M

-43.39%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$204 F CFA 118.8K

-69.41%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$11.80 F CFA 6,883

2.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$45.79 F CFA 26.7K

-56.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$8.37 F CFA 4,882

-22.34%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$326 F CFA 189.9K

143.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$10.2K F CFA 6.0M

45.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$59.2 F CFA 34.5K

-9.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$46.50 F CFA 27.1K

-47.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$84.5 F CFA 49.3K

7.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$98.7 F CFA 57.6K

-27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$433 F CFA 252.2K

5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.75

-36.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Saint-Louis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Saint-Louis

$290 34.7% 23.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Saint-Louis

$130 15.5% 20.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Saint-Louis

$261 31.2% 177% $167

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Saint-Louis

$127 15.1% 61.3% $48

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4% 80.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2% 66.6% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $433 in Saint-Louis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $53.0 in Saint-Louis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $290 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

176,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Saint-Louis 11,970 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Saint-Louis

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 Saint-Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Saint-Louis, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,256 in Saint-Louis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $53.0 in Saint-Louis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Louis, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Saint-Louis 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. Saint-Louis costs $837 versus $925 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 Saint-Louis. 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.