Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Louis and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $837 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$837

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $837 per month in Saint-Louis vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint-Louis $837
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,315 per month in Saint-Louis vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint-Louis $1,315
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,792 per month in Saint-Louis vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint-Louis $1,792
Chiang Mai $1,903

Saint-Louis is about 10% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint-Louis and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Saint-Louis 38% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 F CFA 2,009

$2.29 ฿76.5

50.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.3 F CFA 31.1K

$19.64 ฿656

171.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 F CFA 6,484

$5.61 ฿188

98.22%

Cappuccino

$3.34 F CFA 1,950

$1.66 ฿55.6

101.20%

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

$1.24 F CFA 725

$0.70 ฿23.40

77.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 F CFA 529

$0.31 ฿10.24

193.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$2.41 ฿80.4

-30.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 F CFA 2,545

$3.71 ฿124

17.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 F CFA 1,509

$1.95 ฿65.3

32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.27 F CFA 158

$1.41 ฿47.03

-80.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 F CFA 963

$1.31 ฿43.62

25.95%

Eggs

$2.40 F CFA 1,399

$2.18 ฿72.9

10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.50 F CFA 10.2K

$16.65 ฿556

5.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 F CFA 5,315

$2.76 ฿92.2

230.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 F CFA 6,378

$9.11 ฿304

20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 F CFA 1,888

$2.39 ฿80.0

35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

$1.03 ฿34.26

79.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 F CFA 1,729

$1.63 ฿54.4

82.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 F CFA 1,042

$1.50 ฿50.0

19.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 F CFA 791

$1.29 ฿43.13

5.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 F CFA 535

$1.11 ฿37.03

-17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 F CFA 636

$0.72 ฿24.08

51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 F CFA 397

$0.53 ฿17.59

28.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 F CFA 1,272

$4.31 ฿144

-49.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.00 F CFA 9,911

$17.95 ฿600

-5.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 F CFA 891

$1.58 ฿52.9

-3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 F CFA 1,942

$2.84 ฿95.0

17.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 F CFA 502

$1.21 ฿40.29

-28.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 F CFA 1,279

$0.57 ฿18.99

284.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 F CFA 9,899

$2.35 ฿78.6

622.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 F CFA 939

$1.44 ฿47.96

11.81%

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

$50.3K F CFA 29.3M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

142.68%

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

$47.3K F CFA 27.6M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

76.64%

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

$204 F CFA 118.8K

$62.3 ฿2,083

226.92%

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

$11.80 F CFA 6,883

$12.11 ฿405

-2.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.79 F CFA 26.7K

$19.94 ฿666

129.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$8.37 F CFA 4,882

$6.50 ฿217

28.77%

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

$326 F CFA 189.9K

$793 ฿26.5K

-58.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K F CFA 6.0M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-31.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 F CFA 34.5K

$53.7 ฿1,796

10.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.50 F CFA 27.1K

$24.62 ฿823

88.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 F CFA 49.3K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 F CFA 57.6K

$71.1 ฿2,378

38.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 F CFA 252.2K

$455 ฿15.2K

-5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

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)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

5.57

57.09%

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

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Louis

$290 34.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 18.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Louis

$261 31.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 63.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Louis

$130 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.8% $22

Eating Out

Saint-Louis

$127 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 38% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 199% $33

Getting Around

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 414% $49

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Louis

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $433 in Saint-Louis 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Saint-Louis versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

7 h ahead of Saint-Louis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,000

127,240

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Saint-Louis Chiang Mai 11,970 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Louis
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

Saint-Louis vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Saint-Louis, 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 $1,256 per month in Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Saint-Louis and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Chiang Mai – 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 Saint-Louis, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Saint-Louis 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. Saint-Louis costs $837 versus $925 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 Saint-Louis. 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.