Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,221 in Ethiopia, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

🇪🇹 Ethiopia
$1,221
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Ethiopia is 27.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 34.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ethiopia is 21% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 28.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.96 ETB 637
$2.13 ฿71.4
85.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.04 ETB 6,755
$19.40 ฿649
116.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.50 ETB 1,044
$5.47 ฿183
18.83%
Cappuccino
$0.93 ETB 149
$1.68 ฿56.4
-44.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ETB 90.4
$0.66 ฿22.10
-15.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ETB 89.7
$0.34 ฿11.52
64.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.82 ETB 132
$2.42 ฿81.0
-66.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ETB 328
$3.73 ฿125
-45.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 ETB 164
$2.06 ฿68.9
-50.49%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 ETB 155
$1.46 ฿48.78
-34.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 ETB 290
$1.35 ฿45.09
33.33%
Eggs
$1.80 ETB 290
$2.27 ฿76.0
-20.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.37 ETB 1,185
$16.31 ฿546
-54.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.36 ETB 1,665
$2.70 ฿90.3
283.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.24 ETB 1,646
$9.20 ฿308
11.30%
Apples (1kg)
$4.43 ETB 711
$2.39 ฿80.1
85.36%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 ETB 117
$1.04 ฿34.66
-29.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 ETB 392
$1.60 ฿53.7
52.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.67 ETB 108
$1.44 ฿48.37
-53.47%
Potato (1kg)
$0.55 ETB 88.3
$1.30 ฿43.59
-57.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ETB 218
$1.11 ฿37.29
22.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.81 ETB 131
$0.70 ฿23.55
15.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ETB 93.2
$0.51 ฿16.99
13.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 ETB 1,279
$4.13 ฿138
92.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.34 ETB 858
$17.78 ฿595
-69.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ETB 127
$1.63 ฿54.7
-51.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 ETB 243
$2.87 ฿96.0
-47.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 ETB 60.6
$0.86 ฿28.76
-55.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.79 ETB 2,697
$53.2 ฿1,780
-68.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ETB 218
$1.22 ฿40.81
11.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 ETB 47.21
$0.56 ฿18.81
-48.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.95 ETB 313
$2.31 ฿77.5
-15.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 ETB 151
$1.50 ฿50.2
-37.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$52.9K ETB 8.5M
$20.9K ฿698.3K
153.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.3K ETB 8.9M
$26.7K ฿895.0K
106.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 ETB 22.4K
$61.3 ฿2,051
127.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.83 ETB 1,579
$12.50 ฿419
-21.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$228 ETB 36.7K
$20.36 ฿682
1022.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.23 ETB 6,946
$37.94 ฿1,270
13.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.64 ETB 5,726
$3.77 ฿126
845.36%
Cinema Ticket
$5.11 ETB 821
$6.60 ฿221
-22.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$118 ETB 19.0K
$774 ฿25.9K
-84.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.9K ETB 4.8M
$14.4K ฿483.2K
106.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.22 ETB 5,660
$54.8 ฿1,835
-35.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.0 ETB 9,959
$25.26 ฿846
145.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 ETB 12.6K
$90.6 ฿3,032
-13.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.8 ETB 14.1K
$73.3 ฿2,453
19.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$647 ETB 103.9K
$459 ฿15.4K
40.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$353 ETB 56.7K
$294 ฿9,835
20.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,771 ETB 284.6K
$919 ฿30.8K
92.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$712 ETB 114.4K
$552 ฿18.5K
29.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,804 ETB 289.8K
$1,917 ฿64.2K
-5.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,013 ETB 162.8K
$1,445 ฿48.4K
-29.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ethiopia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$199 ETB 32.0K
$592 ฿19.8K
-66.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17
5.57
205.21%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
$378
Chiang Mai
$94 75.1% $284
Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
$353
Chiang Mai
$294 16.8% $59
Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
$211
Chiang Mai
$236 12% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
$118
Chiang Mai
$110 7.4% $8.7
Eating Out
Ethiopia
$75
Chiang Mai
$77 3% $2.2
Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
$53
Chiang Mai
$51 4.3% $2.3
Getting Around
Ethiopia
$21
Chiang Mai
$61 187% $40
Good to know
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
12:48 12:48 PM
16:48 4:48 PM
4 h ahead of Ethiopia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
128,691,692
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ethiopia Chiang Mai 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ethiopia
  • 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

Ethiopia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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