Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jos and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jos: $534 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Jos
Learn more

Jos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Jos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$534

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $534 per month in Jos vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jos $534
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,097 per month in Jos vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jos $1,097
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,661 per month in Jos vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jos $1,661
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jos is about 43% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Jos and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jos 61% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₦2,729

$2.24 ฿75.7

-8.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ₦40.4K

$19.00 ฿642

58.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 ₦5,325

$5.55 ฿188

-28.47%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₦4,357

$1.67 ฿56.6

94.61%

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

$0.43 ₦571

$0.64 ฿21.56

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₦896

$0.31 ฿10.32

116.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₦1,366

$2.36 ฿79.6

-56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₦2,658

$3.66 ฿124

-45.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.70 ₦4,958

$1.95 ฿65.8

89.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ₦1,171

$1.44 ฿48.51

-39.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₦2,931

$1.33 ฿45.07

64.66%

Eggs

$1.79 ₦2,397

$2.28 ฿77.1

-21.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 ₦13.3K

$16.45 ฿556

-39.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 ₦6,728

$2.78 ฿94.0

80.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.02 ₦5,384

$9.31 ฿314

-56.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₦2,674

$2.35 ฿79.5

-14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₦1,940

$0.97 ฿32.82

49.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ₦2,025

$1.60 ฿53.9

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 ₦3,046

$1.50 ฿50.7

51.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 ₦2,390

$1.28 ฿43.15

39.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 ₦3,229

$1.10 ฿37.22

119.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₦785

$0.71 ฿23.84

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₦534

$0.49 ฿16.38

-18.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ₦2,619

$4.14 ฿140

-52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 ₦7,949

$17.52 ฿592

-66.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₦1,605

$1.61 ฿54.5

-25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₦2,371

$2.78 ฿94.0

-36.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 ₦780

$1.16 ฿39.08

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ₦1,166

$0.53 ฿17.82

64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ₦2,453

$2.42 ฿81.8

-24.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 ₦723

$1.45 ฿48.93

-62.76%

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

$25.7K ₦34.4M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

21.82%

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

$36.3K ₦48.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

34.61%

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

$100 ₦134.5K

$62.2 ฿2,100

61.41%

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

$6.50 ₦8,712

$12.17 ฿411

-46.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.97 ₦38.8K

$20.12 ฿680

43.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.52 ₦53.0K

$37.31 ฿1,260

5.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.03 ₦16.1K

$3.77 ฿127

219.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 ₦8,331

$6.49 ฿219

-4.16%

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

$44.67 ₦59.9K

$736 ฿24.9K

-93.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,001 ₦1.3M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-93.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.09 ₦13.5K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-81.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.98 ₦20.1K

$24.64 ฿832

-39.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.0 ₦68.3K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-44.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 ₦67.1K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-30.37%

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)

$554 ₦743.1K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-44.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₦646.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-23.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,030 ₦2.7M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-14.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,485 ₦2.0M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-6.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$102 ₦136.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

-82.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

5.57

303.95%

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

Last update for Jos: 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

Jos

$203 38.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 15.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jos

$136 25.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 30.5% $41

Eating Out

Jos

$81 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 3.8% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Jos

$57 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 91.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Jos

$52 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.2% $1.7

Getting Around

Jos

$4.9 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1145% $56

Accommodation & Living

Jos

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Jos versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $203 in Jos vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Jos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Jos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

6 h ahead of Jos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 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 NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jos Chiang Mai 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Jos
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 75% more than Jos, 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 $800 per month in Jos 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 $30 in Jos and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $534 in Jos 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 $534 in Jos to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Jos. 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.