Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Alajuela is 52.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 87.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Alajuela is 89.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 72.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 ₡4,768

$2.03 ฿64.3

396.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.17 ₡19.0K

$18.59 ฿590

116.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 ₡4,577

$7.48 ฿237

29.41%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₡1,773

$2.00 ฿63.3

87.50%

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

$1.96 ₡927

$0.85 ฿26.87

130.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡610

$0.35 ฿11.15

268.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ₡1,044

$2.21 ฿70.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,726

$3.76 ฿119

-2.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ₡880

$1.72 ฿54.5

8.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₡1,166

$1.63 ฿51.8

51.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₡1,048

$1.16 ฿36.75

91.38%

Eggs

$2.25 ₡1,063

$1.98 ฿62.8

13.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 ₡4,570

$15.93 ฿505

-39.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 ₡4,273

$3.17 ฿100

185.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,572

$10.90 ฿346

27.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,822

$2.65 ฿83.9

45.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₡686

$1.22 ฿38.79

18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 ₡1,958

$1.70 ฿53.8

143.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,350

$1.59 ฿50.4

79.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 ₡1,360

$1.32 ฿42.00

118.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ₡1,247

$1.17 ฿37.07

125.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₡474

$0.68 ฿21.50

47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,187

$0.56 ฿17.68

348.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,338

$4.51 ฿143

9.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.49 ₡9,689

$19.07 ฿605

7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₡1,012

$1.77 ฿56.2

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₡1,145

$3.18 ฿101

-23.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₡394

$0.96 ฿30.54

-13.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 ₡53.0K

$18.90 ฿599

492.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ₡652

$1.36 ฿43.07

1.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 ₡622

$1.35 ฿42.89

-2.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.05 ₡3,804

$8.03 ฿255

0.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₡662

$1.24 ฿39.43

12.90%

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

$37.7K ₡17.8M

$21.2K ฿671.3K

78.14%

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

$32.8K ₡15.5M

$21.8K ฿690.1K

51.00%

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

$44.80 ₡21.2K

$71.2 ฿2,260

-37.11%

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

$19.66 ₡9,297

$14.09 ฿447

39.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.13 ₡15.7K

$17.47 ฿554

89.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ₡31.1K

$42.07 ฿1,335

56.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.81 ₡20.7K

$6.88 ฿218

536.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 ₡4,315

$5.94 ฿188

53.70%

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

$303 ₡143.3K

$307 ฿9,750

-1.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,356 ₡1.1M

$14.8K ฿469.3K

-84.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ₡29.7K

$55.7 ฿1,766

12.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 ₡24.7K

$26.79 ฿850

95.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡57.2K

$83.2 ฿2,640

45.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ₡47.4K

$70.1 ฿2,224

43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₡332.9K

$427 ฿13.6K

64.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₡286.8K

$237 ฿7,521

155.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 ₡479.1K

$802 ฿25.4K

26.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡441.6K

$503 ฿16.0K

85.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿65.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,039 ₡964.1K

$654 ฿20.7K

211.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

103.40%

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

Last update for Alajuela: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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