Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahé and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,773 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,773

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,773 per month in Mahé vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mahé $1,773
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,601 per month in Mahé vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mahé $2,601
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Mahé vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mahé $3,429
Chiang Mai $1,903

Mahé costs about 92% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mahé sits 31% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 SCR 255

$2.29 ฿76.5

668.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 SCR 1,546

$19.64 ฿656

441.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 SCR 83.2

$5.61 ฿188

2.14%

Cappuccino

$6.59 SCR 95.7

$1.66 ฿55.6

296.99%

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

$1.65 SCR 24.00

$0.70 ฿23.40

135.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.03 SCR 189

$2.41 ฿80.4

440.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.09 SCR 132

$3.71 ฿124

145.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 SCR 22.72

$1.95 ฿65.3

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 SCR 16.46

$1.41 ฿47.03

-19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 SCR 27.04

$1.31 ฿43.62

41.98%

Eggs

$4.11 SCR 59.7

$2.18 ฿72.9

88.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.85 SCR 230

$16.65 ฿556

-4.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.18 SCR 119

$2.76 ฿92.2

196.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.63 SCR 183

$9.11 ฿304

38.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 SCR 30.59

$2.39 ฿80.0

-11.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 SCR 33.30

$1.63 ฿54.4

40.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.54 SCR 95.0

$1.50 ฿50.0

336.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 SCR 15.82

$1.29 ฿43.13

-15.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 SCR 15.84

$1.11 ฿37.03

-1.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 SCR 15.14

$0.72 ฿24.08

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.54 SCR 211

$4.31 ฿144

237.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SCR 31.96

$2.84 ฿95.0

-22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 SCR 10.83

$0.86 ฿28.86

-12.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.49 SCR 515

$53.3 ฿1,780

-33.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 SCR 210

$2.35 ฿78.6

513.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 SCR 22.17

$1.44 ฿47.96

6.25%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$50.0 SCR 727

$62.3 ฿2,083

-19.75%

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

$21.17 SCR 307

$12.11 ฿405

74.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$108 SCR 1,574

$19.94 ฿666

443.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 SCR 772

$37.07 ฿1,239

43.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 SCR 94.5

$6.50 ฿217

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.20 SCR 439

$53.7 ฿1,796

-43.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.25 SCR 178

$24.62 ฿823

-50.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.21 SCR 700

$90.9 ฿3,036

-46.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.2 SCR 889

$71.1 ฿2,378

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 SCR 12.4K

$455 ฿15.2K

87.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 SCR 12.3K

$298 ฿9,954

185.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 SCR 25.5K

$908 ฿30.4K

93.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 SCR 15.7K

$554 ฿18.5K

95.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 SCR 12.4K

$591 ฿19.7K

44.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Mahé: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahé

$850 47.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 65% $552

Eating Out

Mahé

$327 * 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 76% $248

Groceries & Markets

Mahé

$244 * 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 3.3% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahé

$180 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 47.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Mahé

$68 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 58.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Mahé

$66 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 24.3% $16

Getting Around

Mahé

$38 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 58% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $853 in Mahé versus $455 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 45% higher in Mahé, 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 $106 in Mahé versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇨 Mahé

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

3 h ahead of Mahé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,539

127,240

💱 Currency

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SCR = 6.88 USD

100 SCR = 6.12 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SCR – Seychellois Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇨 Seychellois Rupee (₨)

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 14.52 SCR (100 SCR = 6.88 USD). 1 EUR = 16.33 SCR (100 SCR = 6.12 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SCR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mahé Chiang Mai 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahé
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

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

Mahé costs about 92% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,660 per month in Mahé and $1,388 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.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Mahé, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Mahé at $1,773. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mahé it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,773 in Mahé. 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, Mahé makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.