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

😐 Solo nomad: Arenal is 77.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 88.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Arenal is 69.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 77.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.90 ₡5,128

$2.03 ฿64.0

436.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡28.6K

$18.59 ฿586

227.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 ₡4,664

$7.48 ฿236

32.49%

Cappuccino

$3.94 ₡1,855

$2.00 ฿63.0

97.00%

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

$2.08 ₡978

$0.85 ฿26.72

144.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₡745

$0.35 ฿11.09

351.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₡1,385

$2.21 ฿69.8

33.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 ₡2,231

$3.76 ฿118

26.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡960

$1.72 ฿54.2

18.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 ₡1,324

$1.63 ฿51.5

72.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,051

$1.16 ฿36.54

92.24%

Eggs

$2.92 ₡1,375

$1.98 ฿62.4

47.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 ₡4,596

$15.93 ฿502

-38.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 ₡4,347

$3.17 ฿99.9

191.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 ₡6,421

$10.90 ฿344

25.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,136

$2.65 ฿83.4

71.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡715

$1.22 ฿38.57

24.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 ₡1,956

$1.70 ฿53.5

144.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,679

$1.59 ฿50.2

124.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,599

$1.32 ฿41.76

157.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,525

$1.17 ฿36.86

176.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡459

$0.68 ฿21.38

42.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,366

$0.56 ฿17.58

417.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.24 ₡2,466

$4.51 ฿142

16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,477

$19.07 ฿602

5.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₡1,155

$1.77 ฿55.8

38.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,319

$3.18 ฿100

-11.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ₡444

$0.96 ฿30.37

-2.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿596

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡852

$1.36 ฿42.83

33.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 ₡869

$1.35 ฿42.65

37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 ₡3,798

$8.03 ฿253

0.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡682

$1.24 ฿39.20

16.94%

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

$37.2K ₡17.5M

$21.2K ฿667.5K

75.86%

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

$32.0K ₡15.1M

$21.8K ฿686.1K

47.26%

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

$95.6 ₡45.0K

$71.2 ฿2,247

34.12%

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

$25.85 ₡12.2K

$14.09 ฿444

83.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡27.8K

$17.47 ฿551

237.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ₡27.0K

$42.07 ฿1,327

36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 ₡11.4K

$6.88 ฿217

252.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 ₡4,801

$5.94 ฿187

71.72%

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

$571 ₡268.9K

$307 ฿9,694

85.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ₡5.9M

$14.8K ฿466.6K

-15.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 ₡28.9K

$55.7 ฿1,756

10.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 ₡24.6K

$26.79 ฿845

95.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₡58.2K

$83.2 ฿2,625

48.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡50.7K

$70.1 ฿2,211

53.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₡363.6K

$427 ฿13.5K

80.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 ₡282.7K

$237 ฿7,478

153.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 ₡704.5K

$802 ฿25.3K

86.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 ₡445.4K

$503 ฿15.9K

87.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿65.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.6K

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: February 28, 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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