Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumasi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumasi: $495 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kumasi
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Kumasi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kumasi

🇬🇭 Ghana

$495

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $495 per month in Kumasi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kumasi $495
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $816 per month in Kumasi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kumasi $816
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,137 per month in Kumasi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kumasi $1,137
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kumasi is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kumasi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kumasi 64% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 GHS 40.13

$2.24 ฿75.6

54.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.93 GHS 395

$19.00 ฿641

78.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 GHS 120

$5.55 ฿187

86.13%

Cappuccino

$1.09 GHS 12.70

$1.67 ฿56.5

-34.73%

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

$0.71 GHS 8.32

$0.64 ฿21.54

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 GHS 3.17

$0.31 ฿10.31

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 GHS 10.80

$2.36 ฿79.5

-60.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 GHS 19.91

$3.66 ฿124

-53.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 GHS 20.89

$1.95 ฿65.7

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 GHS 18.73

$1.44 ฿48.46

11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 GHS 19.72

$1.33 ฿45.03

27.07%

Eggs

$2.39 GHS 27.85

$2.28 ฿77.1

4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.79 GHS 67.5

$16.45 ฿555

-64.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.55 GHS 53.0

$2.78 ฿93.9

63.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.79 GHS 55.8

$9.31 ฿314

-48.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 GHS 20.31

$2.35 ฿79.4

-25.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 GHS 10.31

$0.97 ฿32.79

-9.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 GHS 10.29

$1.60 ฿53.9

-45.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 GHS 25.21

$1.50 ฿50.6

44.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 GHS 20.16

$1.28 ฿43.11

35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 GHS 14.65

$1.10 ฿37.18

14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 GHS 8.25

$0.71 ฿23.82

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.03

$0.49 ฿16.36

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.84 GHS 9.80

$4.14 ฿140

-79.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$1.32 GHS 15.39

$17.52 ฿591

-92.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 GHS 14.33

$1.61 ฿54.5

-23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.14

$2.78 ฿93.9

-16.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 GHS 6.36

$0.87 ฿29.30

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.62 GHS 240

$54.1 ฿1,825

-61.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 GHS 9.81

$1.16 ฿39.04

-27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 GHS 15.34

$0.53 ฿17.80

149.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 GHS 19.44

$2.42 ฿81.7

-30.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 GHS 13.31

$1.45 ฿48.88

-21.38%

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

$8,015 GHS 93.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

-61.94%

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

$20.3K GHS 236.6K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-24.61%

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

$43.47 GHS 506

$62.2 ฿2,098

-30.08%

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

$19.28 GHS 225

$12.17 ฿411

58.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.32 GHS 505

$20.12 ฿679

115.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.97 GHS 349

$37.31 ฿1,259

-19.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 GHS 153

$6.49 ฿219

102.00%

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

$458 GHS 5,341

$736 ฿24.8K

-37.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,431 GHS 63.3K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-63.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.26 GHS 166

$53.4 ฿1,801

-73.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.46 GHS 215

$24.64 ฿831

-25.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.90 GHS 430

$91.5 ฿3,087

-59.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.3 GHS 609

$71.9 ฿2,427

-27.29%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$415 GHS 4,840

$590 ฿19.9K

-29.55%

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 Kumasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kumasi

$164 33.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 42.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumasi

$106 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10.9% $12

Eating Out

Kumasi

$84 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.2% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Kumasi

$56 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.5% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kumasi

$55 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 98% $54

Getting Around

Kumasi

$30 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 103% $31

Accommodation & Living

Kumasi

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 42% 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 $34 in Kumasi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $164 in Kumasi vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kumasi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Kumasi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

7 h ahead of Kumasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,517,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.58 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 11.65 GHS (100 GHS = 8.58 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kumasi Chiang Mai 10,870 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kumasi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Kumasi, 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 $743 per month in Kumasi and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $458 per month in Kumasi and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $495 in Kumasi 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 $495 in Kumasi to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kumasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.