Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ho and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho: $683 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.

33

Cost of Living Index in Ho
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Ho Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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🇬🇭 Ghana

$683

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $683 per month in Ho vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ho $683
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,149 per month in Ho vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ho $1,149
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,615 per month in Ho vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ho $1,615
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ho is about 27% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.69 GHS 101

$2.24 ฿75.7

287.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 GHS 593

$19.00 ฿642

169.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 GHS 118

$5.55 ฿188

83.42%

Cappuccino

$4.50 GHS 52.1

$1.67 ฿56.6

169.46%

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

$1.56 GHS 18.07

$0.64 ฿21.56

143.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 GHS 5.48

$0.31 ฿10.32

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 GHS 21.27

$2.36 ฿79.6

-22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 GHS 25.49

$3.66 ฿124

-39.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.57 GHS 41.36

$1.95 ฿65.8

83.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 GHS 19.21

$1.44 ฿48.51

15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 GHS 35.89

$1.33 ฿45.07

133.08%

Eggs

$2.60 GHS 30.13

$2.28 ฿77.1

14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 GHS 137

$16.45 ฿556

-27.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.48 GHS 86.6

$2.78 ฿94.0

169.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 GHS 117

$9.31 ฿314

8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 GHS 43.37

$2.35 ฿79.5

59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 GHS 16.27

$0.97 ฿32.82

45.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 GHS 20.60

$1.60 ฿53.9

11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 GHS 40.89

$1.50 ฿50.7

135.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 GHS 32.32

$1.28 ฿43.15

117.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 GHS 32.19

$1.10 ฿37.22

152.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 GHS 8.63

$0.71 ฿23.84

5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 GHS 6.68

$0.49 ฿16.38

18.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 GHS 29.31

$4.14 ฿140

-38.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.03 GHS 81.5

$17.52 ฿592

-59.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 GHS 14.95

$1.61 ฿54.5

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 GHS 27.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

-13.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 GHS 20.22

$1.16 ฿39.08

50.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 GHS 15.28

$0.53 ฿17.82

149.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 GHS 50.6

$2.42 ฿81.8

80.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 GHS 15.69

$1.45 ฿48.93

-6.21%

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

$7,868 GHS 91.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-62.64%

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

$20.2K GHS 234.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-24.84%

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

$74.6 GHS 863

$62.2 ฿2,100

19.93%

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

$19.63 GHS 227

$12.17 ฿411

61.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.36 GHS 502

$20.12 ฿680

115.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 GHS 152

$6.49 ฿219

102.62%

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

$463 GHS 5,366

$736 ฿24.9K

-37.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K GHS 218.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

27.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.51 GHS 168

$53.4 ฿1,802

-72.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.97 GHS 220

$24.64 ฿832

-23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.41 GHS 422

$91.5 ฿3,089

-60.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 GHS 616

$71.9 ฿2,429

-26.08%

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 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿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 Ho: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

$279 40.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.1% $45

Eating Out

$176 25.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 55.9% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

$138 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 31.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

$55 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 96.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

$26 * 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 91.2% $24

Getting Around

$8.3 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 636% $53

Accommodation & Living

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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 in Ho versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Ho

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

7 h ahead of Ho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,715

127,240

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chiang Mai 10,660 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Ho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,024 per month in Ho and $1,403 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 in Ho and $19 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $683 in Ho and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $683 in Ho to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.