Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguada and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,184 in Aguada, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aguada outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Aguada
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Aguada Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aguada

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,184

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,184 in Aguada versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Aguada $1,184
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,222 in Aguada versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Aguada $1,222
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,261 in Aguada versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Aguada $1,261
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Aguada is roughly 26% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguada 12% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 $10.88

$2.26 ฿75.4

381.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 $11.94

$5.59 ฿187

113.60%

Cappuccino

$2.02 $2.02

$1.72 ฿57.6

17.44%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$0.64 ฿21.54

220.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.33 ฿11.18

206.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.36 ฿78.7

-35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.90 ฿130

-23.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.05 ฿68.6

-12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.40 ฿46.70

82.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.25 ฿75.3

87.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.45 ฿48.32

-40.69%

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)

$256 $256

$62.3 ฿2,083

311.41%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$12.27 ฿410

380.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 $54.8

$37.91 ฿1,267

44.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 $5.98

$6.71 ฿224

-10.88%

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

$502 $502

$797 ฿26.6K

-37.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 $34.61

$53.3 ฿1,780

-35.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 $39.65

$25.05 ฿837

58.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 $79.9

$91.6 ฿3,062

-12.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$73.5 ฿2,455

36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 $506

$464 ฿15.5K

9.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 $454

$305 ฿10.2K

48.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

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)

$2,214 $2,214

$595 ฿19.9K

271.97%

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 Aguada: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aguada

$454 38.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 32.9% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguada

$315 * 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 70% $221

Eating Out

Aguada

$173 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 54.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Aguada

$114 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 4.3% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Aguada

$67 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 23.1% $15

Groceries & Markets

Aguada

$60 * 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 294% $178

Getting Around

Aguada

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Aguada and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguada pays 272% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Aguada

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

14:59 2:59 PM

11 h ahead of Aguada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,000

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aguada Chiang Mai 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Aguada
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

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

Aguada and Chiang Mai differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,184 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 272% higher in Aguada, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $506 in Aguada versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $502 in Aguada versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you'll spend $1,184 per month in Aguada versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,184 in Aguada, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Aguada. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aguada and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Aguada. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.