Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Lagos and in Chiang Mai: $951 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lagos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$951

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $951 per month in Lagos vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lagos $951
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,859 per month in Lagos vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lagos $1,859
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,768 per month in Lagos vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lagos $2,768
Chiang Mai $1,914

Lagos costs about 1% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ₦5,082

$2.26 ฿75.4

69.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 ₦67.5K

$19.18 ฿641

164.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 ₦9,815

$5.59 ฿187

32.02%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ₦3,768

$1.72 ฿57.6

64.53%

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

$0.43 ₦577

$0.64 ฿21.54

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₦291

$0.33 ฿11.18

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₦1,348

$2.36 ฿78.7

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₦2,692

$3.90 ฿130

-48.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 ₦4,120

$2.05 ฿68.6

51.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₦1,989

$1.40 ฿46.70

7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 ₦1,669

$1.28 ฿42.89

-2.34%

Eggs

$2.27 ₦3,013

$2.25 ฿75.3

0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.44 ₦4,578

$16.94 ฿566

-79.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ₦5,040

$2.74 ฿91.6

38.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.58 ₦6,093

$9.36 ฿313

-51.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₦2,255

$2.40 ฿80.3

-29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ₦1,716

$1.01 ฿33.92

27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₦1,475

$1.61 ฿53.9

-31.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₦1,718

$1.52 ฿50.7

-15.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 ₦1,823

$1.28 ฿42.90

7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ₦1,803

$1.11 ฿37.22

22.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₦1,128

$0.72 ฿24.09

18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₦528

$0.52 ฿17.54

-23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.60 ₦793

$4.33 ฿145

-86.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.52 ₦3,346

$17.73 ฿593

-85.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₦721

$1.63 ฿54.4

-66.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₦612

$2.85 ฿95.3

-83.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₦532

$0.85 ฿28.31

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ₦26.2K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-63.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₦864

$1.17 ฿39.18

-44.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 ₦1,270

$0.57 ฿19.00

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₦2,987

$2.37 ฿79.2

-5.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₦1,098

$1.45 ฿48.32

-42.76%

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

$11.1K ₦14.8M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-45.73%

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

$13.6K ₦18.1M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-48.56%

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

$113 ₦150.7K

$62.3 ฿2,083

81.81%

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

$15.08 ₦20.1K

$12.27 ฿410

22.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 ₦44.0K

$19.97 ฿668

65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.10 ₦37.4K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-25.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.79 ₦9,027

$3.76 ฿126

80.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 ₦8,237

$6.71 ฿224

-7.75%

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

$659 ₦877.1K

$797 ฿26.6K

-17.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ₦26.0M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

31.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.85 ₦19.8K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-72.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.95 ₦23.9K

$25.05 ฿837

-28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.30 ₦48.3K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-60.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.95 ₦65.1K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-33.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₦936.6K

$464 ฿15.5K

51.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₦554.1K

$305 ฿10.2K

36.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 ₦3.8M

$915 ฿30.6K

208.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 ₦2.0M

$552 ฿18.5K

174.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 ₦4.4M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

71.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ₦2.1M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

11.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$117 ₦155.2K

$595 ฿19.9K

-80.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

5.57

230.16%

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

Last update for Lagos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lagos

$417 43.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 26.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$161 17%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 41.4% $67

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$154 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 54.8% $84

Eating Out

Lagos

$98 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 19.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$53 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 106% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$40 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 26.8% $11

Getting Around

Lagos

$27 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 129% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $704 in Lagos versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 410% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Lagos versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $154 in Lagos vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Lagos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Lagos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

6 h ahead of Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,404,112

127,240

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lagos Chiang Mai 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lagos
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

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

Lagos costs about 1% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,426 per month in Lagos and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $659 per month in Lagos and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 55% cheaper in Lagos – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Lagos at $951. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lagos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $951 in Lagos. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lagos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.