Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
Learn more

Tema Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $738 in Tema, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Tema $738

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,173 in Tema, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Tema $1,173

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,608 in Tema, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Tema $1,608

Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tema are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Tema 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$7.03 GHS 82.6

-69.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$27.88 GHS 328

-30.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$5.05 GHS 59.3

-66.73%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.90 GHS 10.57

-26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.30 GHS 3.55

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$3.29 GHS 38.67

-26.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.61 GHS 30.66

42.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$3.16 GHS 37.18

-34.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.60 GHS 18.84

-8.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$2.07 GHS 24.34

-34.78%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$2.30 GHS 27.06

-1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$4.38 GHS 51.4

272.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$3.17 GHS 37.21

-14.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$3.38 GHS 39.73

172.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.61 GHS 30.71

-8.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$2.13 GHS 25.06

-51.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$2.21 GHS 26.01

-27.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$3.49 GHS 41.02

-58.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$3.40 GHS 39.98

-61.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$2.82 GHS 33.12

-60.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.45 GHS 5.25

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.67 GHS 7.86

-23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$1.26 GHS 14.86

227.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$8.54 GHS 100

108.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$2.10 GHS 24.63

-22.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.96 GHS 34.79

-3.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$1.68 GHS 19.73

-48.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$41.17 GHS 484

29.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$2.10 GHS 24.73

-41.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$0.41 GHS 4.83

36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.19 GHS 13.98

26.05%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$78.2 GHS 919

-21.64%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$15.22 GHS 179

-17.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$82.5 GHS 970

-75.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$24.06 GHS 283

57.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$8.80 GHS 103

-25.00%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$174 GHS 2,050

343.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$2,544 GHS 29.9K

467.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$13.07 GHS 154

319.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$15.40 GHS 181

64.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$42.37 GHS 498

113.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$32.20 GHS 378

127.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$126 GHS 1,485

262.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$71.3 GHS 838

312.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$426 GHS 5,008

115.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$209 GHS 2,456

164.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$9,909 GHS 116.4K

-80.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$5,903 GHS 69.4K

-75.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$419 GHS 4,921

41.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-84.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Tema

$71 9.6% 75.7% $222

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Tema

$216 28.9% 8.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Tema

$46 6.2% 57.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tema

$176 23.6% 86.9% $82

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Tema

$143 * 19.2% 85.5% $66

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tema

$52 7% 14.2% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Tema

$42 5.6% 18.5% $9.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $126 in Tema. 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 41% 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 $28.00 in Tema. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Chiang Mai vs $216 in Tema – so Tema wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

160,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 GHS = 8.51 USD

100 GHS = 7.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, 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 = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.75 GHS (100 GHS = 8.51 USD). 1 EUR = 13.18 GHS (100 GHS = 7.59 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tema 10,750 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Tema, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,107 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tema, 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 $174 in Tema. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 Tema, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Tema 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. Tema costs $738 versus $906 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 Tema. 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.