Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Elmina 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 Elmina and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elmina $668
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Chiang Mai $1,914

Elmina is about 29% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Elmina and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Elmina 51% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 91.0

$2.26 ฿75.4

246.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 591

$19.18 ฿641

165.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$5.59 ฿187

83.54%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.9

$1.72 ฿57.6

159.30%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.85

$0.64 ฿21.54

139.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.12

$0.33 ฿11.18

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 21.03

$2.36 ฿78.7

-23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.19

$3.90 ฿130

-44.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.68

$2.05 ฿68.6

79.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.37

$1.40 ฿46.70

19.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.63

$1.28 ฿42.89

139.06%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.21

$2.25 ฿75.3

19.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$16.94 ฿566

-28.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.3

$2.74 ฿91.6

158.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$9.36 ฿313

2.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.93

$2.40 ฿80.3

50.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.32

$1.01 ฿33.92

38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.58

$1.61 ฿53.9

9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.44

$1.52 ฿50.7

134.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.29

$1.28 ฿42.90

110.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.82

$1.11 ฿37.22

138.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.34

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.02

$0.52 ฿17.54

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.19

$4.33 ฿145

-42.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 82.1

$17.73 ฿593

-60.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.10

$1.63 ฿54.4

-25.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.14

$2.85 ฿95.3

-18.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.29

$1.17 ฿39.18

48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.65

$0.57 ฿19.00

121.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 50.0

$2.37 ฿79.2

81.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.58

$1.45 ฿48.32

-7.59%

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

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-61.35%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-63.56%

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

$73.7 GHS 857

$62.3 ฿2,083

18.24%

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

$19.07 GHS 222

$12.27 ฿410

55.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 491

$19.97 ฿668

111.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$6.71 ฿224

88.67%

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

$470 GHS 5,464

$797 ฿26.6K

-41.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

25.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 165

$53.3 ฿1,780

-73.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$25.05 ฿837

-25.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 427

$91.6 ฿3,062

-59.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 605

$73.5 ฿2,455

-29.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

5.57

380.25%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 13.9% $38

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 53% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 30% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 100% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 103% $26

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 663% $53

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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 $51.0 in Elmina versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

7 h ahead of Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

127,240

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 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 GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elmina Chiang Mai 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 41% more than Elmina, 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 $1,001 per month in Elmina and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Elmina 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. Elmina costs $668 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 Elmina. 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.