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

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 28.3% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 25.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 25.5% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 16.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.15 PEN 14.14
$2.03 ฿64.0
104.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.05 PEN 95.7
$18.59 ฿586
50.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.45 PEN 18.58
$7.48 ฿236
-27.14%
Cappuccino
$2.52 PEN 8.60
$2.00 ฿63.0
26.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PEN 2.60
$0.85 ฿26.72
-10.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 PEN 1.35
$0.35 ฿11.09
14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.25 PEN 7.68
$2.21 ฿69.8
1.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.04 PEN 20.59
$3.76 ฿118
60.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 PEN 5.20
$1.72 ฿54.2
-11.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 PEN 4.37
$1.63 ฿51.5
-21.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 PEN 4.32
$1.16 ฿36.54
9.48%
Eggs
$2.08 PEN 7.11
$1.98 ฿62.4
5.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.44 PEN 18.55
$15.93 ฿502
-65.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.24 PEN 17.88
$3.17 ฿99.9
65.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.50 PEN 25.57
$10.90 ฿344
-31.19%
Apples (1kg)
$1.49 PEN 5.09
$2.65 ฿83.4
-43.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 PEN 4.03
$1.22 ฿38.57
-3.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 PEN 4.14
$1.70 ฿53.5
-28.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.82 PEN 2.80
$1.59 ฿50.2
-48.43%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 PEN 1.98
$1.32 ฿41.76
-56.06%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 PEN 1.86
$1.17 ฿36.86
-52.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 PEN 1.51
$0.68 ฿21.38
-35.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 PEN 2.47
$0.56 ฿17.58
30.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.87 PEN 16.59
$4.51 ฿142
7.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.18 PEN 17.66
$19.07 ฿602
-72.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 PEN 8.47
$1.77 ฿55.8
40.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 PEN 7.58
$3.18 ฿100
-30.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 PEN 0.91
$0.96 ฿30.37
-71.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.90 ฿596
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.05 PEN 7.01
$1.36 ฿42.83
50.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 PEN 7.01
$1.35 ฿42.65
52.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.90 PEN 43.99
$8.03 ฿253
60.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 PEN 5.27
$1.24 ฿39.20
24.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.9K PEN 64.4K
$21.2K ฿667.5K
-10.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K PEN 86.0K
$21.8K ฿686.1K
15.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.50 PEN 135
$71.2 ฿2,247
-44.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.48 PEN 35.75
$14.09 ฿444
-25.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.17 PEN 103
$17.47 ฿551
72.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.27 PEN 72.5
$42.07 ฿1,327
-49.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.50 PEN 28.98
$6.88 ฿217
23.55%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 PEN 15.43
$5.94 ฿187
-23.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$59.6 PEN 203
$307 ฿9,694
-80.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,330 PEN 21.6K
$14.8K ฿466.6K
-57.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.11 PEN 130
$55.7 ฿1,756
-31.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.08 PEN 75.3
$26.79 ฿845
-17.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.4 PEN 216
$83.2 ฿2,625
-23.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.1 PEN 188
$70.1 ฿2,211
-21.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$244 PEN 831
$427 ฿13.5K
-42.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$160 PEN 547
$237 ฿7,478
-32.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 PEN 1,838
$802 ฿25.3K
-32.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 PEN 1,329
$503 ฿15.9K
-22.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,038 PEN 6,949
$2,061 ฿65.0K
-1.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$990 PEN 3,376
$1,533 ฿48.3K
-35.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$658 PEN 2,243
$654 ฿20.6K
0.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
5
200.00%

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

Last update for Arequipa: 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

Similar cities