Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dar es Salaam and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $707 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Dar es Salaam
Learn more

Dar es Salaam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$707

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dar es Salaam and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dar es Salaam and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $707 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $707
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,121 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,121
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,535 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,535
Chiang Mai $1,914

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

Both Dar es Salaam and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dar es Salaam 48% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.93 TZS 5,066

$2.26 ฿75.4

-14.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.16 TZS 50.2K

$19.18 ฿641

-0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 TZS 19.9K

$5.59 ฿187

35.96%

Cappuccino

$2.02 TZS 5,285

$1.72 ฿57.6

17.44%

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

$0.37 TZS 975

$0.64 ฿21.54

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 TZS 577

$0.33 ฿11.18

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 TZS 2,452

$2.36 ฿78.7

-60.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 TZS 5,091

$3.90 ฿130

-50.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 TZS 2,121

$2.05 ฿68.6

-60.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 TZS 1,616

$1.40 ฿46.70

-55.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 TZS 2,861

$1.28 ฿42.89

-14.84%

Eggs

$2.04 TZS 5,343

$2.25 ฿75.3

-9.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 TZS 24.4K

$16.94 ฿566

-45.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 TZS 12.5K

$2.74 ฿91.6

74.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.98 TZS 10.4K

$9.36 ฿313

-57.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 TZS 6,544

$2.40 ฿80.3

4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,801

$1.01 ฿33.92

5.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 TZS 2,724

$1.61 ฿53.9

-35.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 TZS 2,418

$1.52 ฿50.7

-39.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 TZS 2,491

$1.28 ฿42.90

-25.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,702

$1.11 ฿37.22

-7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 TZS 2,114

$0.72 ฿24.09

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 TZS 1,002

$0.52 ฿17.54

-26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 TZS 5,477

$4.33 ฿145

-51.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.04 TZS 18.4K

$17.73 ฿593

-60.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 TZS 2,272

$1.63 ฿54.4

-46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 TZS 4,138

$2.85 ฿95.3

-44.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 TZS 681

$0.85 ฿28.31

-69.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.62 TZS 38.3K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-72.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 TZS 4,227

$1.17 ฿39.18

37.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 TZS 3,907

$0.57 ฿19.00

161.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.34 TZS 34.9K

$2.37 ฿79.2

462.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 TZS 3,727

$1.45 ฿48.32

-2.07%

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

$17.1K TZS 44.8M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-16.54%

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

$26.4K TZS 69.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-0.32%

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

$56.9 TZS 149.1K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-8.68%

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

$9.17 TZS 24.0K

$12.27 ฿410

-25.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.48 TZS 87.7K

$19.97 ฿668

67.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.9 TZS 224.9K

$37.91 ฿1,267

126.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 TZS 26.4K

$3.76 ฿126

167.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 TZS 13.2K

$6.71 ฿224

-24.74%

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

$565 TZS 1.5M

$797 ฿26.6K

-29.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K TZS 34.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-11.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.27 TZS 40.0K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-71.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.42 TZS 66.6K

$25.05 ฿837

1.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.19 TZS 115.7K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-51.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 TZS 155.7K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 TZS 1.5M

$464 ฿15.5K

23.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 TZS 513.6K

$305 ฿10.2K

-35.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 TZS 3.4M

$915 ฿30.6K

43.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 TZS 1.2M

$552 ฿18.5K

-20.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,556 TZS 4.1M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-18.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 TZS 2.8M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-25.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 TZS 722.7K

$595 ฿19.9K

-53.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

5.57

227.65%

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

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dar es Salaam

$196 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 55.4% $109

Groceries & Markets

Dar es Salaam

$153 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 56% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dar es Salaam

$100 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 5% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Dar es Salaam

$96 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 46.5% $45

Eating Out

Dar es Salaam

$73 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 7.6% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 68.6% $45

Getting Around

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 148% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $572 in Dar es Salaam versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 116% 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 Dar es Salaam versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $238 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

4 h ahead of Dar es Salaam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,383,728

127,240

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dar es Salaam Chiang Mai 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dar es Salaam
Chiang Mai

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

Dar es Salaam vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Dar es Salaam, 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 $1,061 per month in Dar es Salaam and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $565 per month in Dar es Salaam and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dar es Salaam, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Dar es Salaam 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. Dar es Salaam costs $707 versus $938 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 Dar es Salaam. 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.