Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mindelo and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $387 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$387

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $387 per month in Mindelo vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mindelo $387
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $895 per month in Mindelo vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mindelo $895
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,403 per month in Mindelo vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mindelo $1,403
Chiang Mai $1,914

Mindelo is about 59% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Mindelo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mindelo 71% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 CVE 888

$2.26 ฿75.4

300.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 CVE 5,551

$19.18 ฿641

195.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

Cappuccino

$1.09 CVE 107

$1.72 ฿57.6

-36.63%

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

$1.30 CVE 127

$0.64 ฿21.54

103.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 CVE 96.3

$0.33 ฿11.18

196.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 CVE 267

$2.36 ฿78.7

15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CVE 147

$3.90 ฿130

-61.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 CVE 147

$2.05 ฿68.6

-27.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 CVE 106

$1.40 ฿46.70

-22.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 CVE 78.4

$1.28 ฿42.89

-37.50%

Eggs

$2.55 CVE 250

$2.25 ฿75.3

13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.87 CVE 1,557

$16.94 ฿566

-6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.47 CVE 1,713

$9.36 ฿313

86.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 CVE 209

$2.40 ฿80.3

-11.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 CVE 186

$1.01 ฿33.92

88.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 CVE 275

$1.61 ฿53.9

74.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 CVE 295

$1.52 ฿50.7

97.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 CVE 81.7

$1.28 ฿42.90

-35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 CVE 160

$1.11 ฿37.22

46.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 CVE 97.0

$0.72 ฿24.09

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 CVE 70.7

$0.52 ฿17.54

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 CVE 502

$4.33 ฿145

18.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 CVE 787

$17.73 ฿593

-54.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 CVE 185

$1.63 ฿54.4

15.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 CVE 195

$2.85 ฿95.3

-30.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 CVE 43.22

$0.85 ฿28.31

-48.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.81 CVE 2,923

$53.9 ฿1,801

-44.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 CVE 150

$1.17 ฿39.18

30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CVE 145

$0.57 ฿19.00

159.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 CVE 980

$2.37 ฿79.2

321.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 CVE 162

$1.45 ฿48.32

13.79%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

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

$12.27 ฿410

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.96 CVE 290

$3.76 ฿126

-21.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

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

$797 ฿26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 CVE 35.0K

$915 ฿30.6K

-61.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 CVE 24.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

-54.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 Mindelo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mindelo

–

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Groceries & Markets

Mindelo

–

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Mindelo

–

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mindelo

–

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Eating Out

Mindelo

–

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Getting Around

Mindelo

–

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Mindelo

–

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Mindelo versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Mindelo vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Mindelo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

8 h ahead of Mindelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mindelo Chiang Mai 12,720 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mindelo
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 142% more than Mindelo, 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 $581 per month in Mindelo and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Mindelo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 1% 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mindelo, where all-in costs run around $387, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Mindelo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mindelo costs $387 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Mindelo. 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.