Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Xai-Xai

For one person, living is cheaper in Xai-Xai: $682 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Xai-Xai
Learn more

Xai-Xai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Xai-Xai

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Xai-Xai

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $682 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Xai-Xai $682

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,151 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Xai-Xai $1,151

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,620 in Xai-Xai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Xai-Xai $1,620

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Xai-Xai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Xai-Xai are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Xai-Xai 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$10.16 MZN 642

-77.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$63.7 MZN 4,029

-70.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.21 MZN 456

-23.02%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.16 MZN 137

-22.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.86 MZN 54.5

-25.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.73 MZN 46.29

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.60 MZN 101

47.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.33 MZN 147

57.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.54 MZN 97.6

26.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.03 MZN 65.4

39.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.60 MZN 101

-16.88%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.50 MZN 158

-8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$21.24 MZN 1,343

-22.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.72 MZN 362

-51.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.80 MZN 367

60.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.99 MZN 126

18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.75 MZN 47.22

29.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.68 MZN 107

-4.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.08 MZN 68.4

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.04 MZN 65.5

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.79 MZN 50.1

39.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.92 MZN 58.0

-22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.90 MZN 57.1

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.79 MZN 176

48.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$10.08 MZN 637

73.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.97 MZN 61.6

65.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.27 MZN 80.4

118.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.53 MZN 96.6

-24.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.19 MZN 75.4

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$24.19 MZN 1,530

-90.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.40 MZN 88.8

3.57%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$32.0K MZN 2.0M

-34.29%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.7K MZN 1.4M

18.51%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$71.4 MZN 4,518

-12.96%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.74 MZN 490

57.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$88.5 MZN 5,596

-77.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.72 MZN 488

-15.93%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$178 MZN 11.2K

314.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,082 MZN 321.4K

190.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$49.75 MZN 3,146

7.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$57.0 MZN 3,606

-56.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$77.2 MZN 4,881

18.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$79.3 MZN 5,017

-9.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-77.72%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Xai-Xai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Xai-Xai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Xai-Xai

$225 33% 3.9% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Xai-Xai

$118 17.4% 9% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Xai-Xai

$168 24.6% 77.5% $73

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Xai-Xai

$148 21.7% 90.6% $70

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Xai-Xai

$7.5 * 1.1% 87.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Xai-Xai

$15 * 2.3% 69.3% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $64 in Xai-Xai. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $225 in Xai-Xai – so Xai-Xai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇿 Xai-Xai

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

116,343

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.89 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Xai-Xai 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Xai-Xai

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 Xai-Xai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Xai-Xai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,023 in Xai-Xai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $64 in Xai-Xai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $682 in Xai-Xai to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.