Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,282 in Monrovia, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Monrovia despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia
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Monrovia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Monrovia

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,282

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,282 per month in Monrovia vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monrovia $1,282
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,894 per month in Monrovia vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monrovia $1,894
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,506 per month in Monrovia vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monrovia $2,506
Chiang Mai $1,999

Monrovia costs about 37% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monrovia and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Monrovia 5% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.42 LRD 1,258

$2.13 ฿71.8

248.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 LRD 1,837

$5.60 ฿188

93.57%

Cappuccino

$3.05 LRD 516

$1.66 ฿55.9

83.73%

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

$2.03 LRD 344

$0.65 ฿21.75

212.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 LRD 334

$0.30 ฿10.25

556.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 LRD 693

$2.32 ฿78.1

76.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 LRD 512

$3.67 ฿123

-17.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 LRD 355

$2.02 ฿67.8

3.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 LRD 295

$1.41 ฿47.34

23.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 LRD 865

$1.39 ฿46.79

267.63%

Eggs

$3.56 LRD 602

$2.37 ฿79.6

50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 LRD 1,322

$16.52 ฿555

-52.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 LRD 1,968

$2.67 ฿89.8

335.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 LRD 2,375

$9.02 ฿303

55.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 LRD 281

$2.40 ฿80.6

-30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$8.49 LRD 1,439

$1.04 ฿35.01

716.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.13 LRD 1,715

$1.66 ฿55.8

510.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.82 LRD 1,833

$1.56 ฿52.4

593.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 LRD 376

$1.24 ฿41.61

79.03%

Onion (1kg)

$10.82 LRD 1,832

$1.09 ฿36.53

892.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.73 LRD 801

$0.76 ฿25.61

522.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LRD 334

$0.51 ฿17.29

286.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 LRD 859

$4.12 ฿139

23.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 LRD 1,177

$17.93 ฿603

-61.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 LRD 431

$1.62 ฿54.6

57.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 LRD 599

$2.82 ฿94.9

25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 LRD 504

$0.93 ฿31.42

219.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.30 LRD 3,439

$52.9 ฿1,778

-61.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 LRD 349

$1.18 ฿39.56

74.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 LRD 306

$0.17 ฿5.76

964.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.48 LRD 4,317

$1.81 ฿60.9

1307.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 LRD 212

$1.47 ฿49.51

-14.97%

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

$20.2K LRD 3.4M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

-3.63%

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

$14.7K LRD 2.5M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-44.43%

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

$152 LRD 25.8K

$62.6 ฿2,103

143.70%

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

$22.35 LRD 3,787

$11.60 ฿390

92.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$177 LRD 29.9K

$20.30 ฿683

770.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.1 LRD 10.5K

$37.88 ฿1,274

63.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.87 LRD 1,671

$3.70 ฿124

166.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 LRD 865

$6.51 ฿219

-21.51%

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

$101 LRD 17.1K

$727 ฿24.4K

-86.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$991 LRD 167.9K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-94.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.23 LRD 4,275

$53.5 ฿1,800

-52.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 LRD 5,514

$24.80 ฿834

31.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.1 LRD 9,163

$90.4 ฿3,039

-40.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.0 LRD 15.7K

$72.0 ฿2,420

29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 LRD 42.8K

$481 ฿16.2K

-47.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.8 LRD 16.4K

$310 ฿10.4K

-68.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 LRD 108.6K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-39.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 LRD 45.5K

$659 ฿22.1K

-59.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$711 LRD 120.5K

$595 ฿20.0K

19.58%

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 Monrovia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia

$455 35.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 48% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia

$351 27.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.1% $257

Eating Out

Monrovia

$171 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 55.2% $94

Accommodation & Living

Monrovia

$97 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 220% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia

$92 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 17.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia

$72 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 29.6% $21

Getting Around

Monrovia

$43 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 35.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in Monrovia versus $481 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 20% higher in Monrovia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇱🇷 Monrovia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

03:42 3:42 AM

7 h ahead of Monrovia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,970 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Liberian Dollar LRD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LRD = 5.9 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LRD – Liberian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇷 Liberian Dollar ($)

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 169 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.9 USD). 1 EUR = 191 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to LRD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monrovia Chiang Mai 11,840 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia
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

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

Monrovia costs about 37% 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 $1,923 per month in Monrovia and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monrovia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Monrovia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Monrovia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,282 in Monrovia and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,282 in Monrovia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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