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

😐 Solo nomad: Arenal is 63.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 82.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Arenal is 56.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 78.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.9 ₡5,456

$2.02 ฿65.3

439.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 ₡29.3K

$18.78 ฿608

212.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 ₡4,918

$7.67 ฿248

28.03%

Cappuccino

$3.8 ₡1,904

$1.98 ฿64.2

91.92%

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

$1.98 ₡990

$0.82 ฿26.64

141.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₡805

$0.33 ฿10.58

387.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3 ₡1,502

$2.12 ฿68.6

41.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ₡2,367

$3.73 ฿121

26.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡1,033

$1.64 ฿53.2

25.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 ₡1,428

$1.57 ฿50.9

81.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₡1,112

$1.19 ฿38.62

86.55%

Eggs

$2.93 ₡1,469

$1.98 ฿64.1

47.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 ₡4,874

$15.99 ฿517

-39.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 ₡4,546

$3.12 ฿101

191.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,931

$11.16 ฿361

24.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.4 ₡2,203

$2.76 ฿89.2

59.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₡756

$1.22 ฿39.5

23.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 ₡2,183

$1.71 ฿55.4

154.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 ₡1,779

$1.55 ฿50.2

129.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,765

$1.34 ฿43.21

162.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,605

$1.21 ฿39.23

165.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡484

$0.72 ฿23.2

34.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,427

$0.53 ฿17.05

437.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,695

$4.72 ฿153

13.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 ₡9,343

$18.39 ฿595

1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 ₡1,259

$1.79 ฿57.9

40.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₡1,476

$3.21 ฿104

-8.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ₡520

$0.94 ฿30.44

10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.9 ฿612

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ₡891

$1.42 ฿46.08

25.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡921

$1.35 ฿43.53

36.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 ₡4,058

$7.85 ฿254

3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.4 ₡700

$1.25 ฿40.4

12.00%

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

$37.7K ₡18.9M

$21.2K ฿684.9K

78.04%

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

$33.1K ₡16.6M

$21.8K ฿706.8K

51.70%

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

$94.5 ₡47.3K

$70.6 ฿2,285

33.79%

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

$25.71 ₡12.9K

$13.72 ฿444

87.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡29.6K

$17.56 ฿568

236.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 ₡28.9K

$41.64 ฿1,347

38.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.97 ₡12K

$6.9 ฿223

247.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 ₡4,873

$5.8 ฿188

67.76%

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

$561 ₡280.7K

$308 ฿9,963

82.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.4M

$14.7K ฿475.8K

-13.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 ₡30.8K

$55.4 ฿1,793

11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 ₡26.2K

$26.4 ฿854

98.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡63.1K

$85.1 ฿2,755

48.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡54K

$71.8 ฿2,323

50.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 ₡380.1K

$434 ฿14K

74.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 ₡299K

$235 ฿7,610

153.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ₡767.2K

$821 ฿26.6K

86.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 ₡484.4K

$498 ฿16.1K

94.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,180 ฿70.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,543 ฿49.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ฿22.8K

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 Arenal: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia