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

🙂 Solo nomad: Arequipa is 23.4% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 26.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Arequipa is 14.4% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 20.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.13 PEN 14.9
$2.02 ฿65.3
104.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.5 PEN 99.3
$18.78 ฿608
46.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.63 PEN 20.32
$7.67 ฿248
-26.60%
Cappuccino
$2.51 PEN 9.05
$1.98 ฿64.2
26.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PEN 2.75
$0.82 ฿26.64
-7.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 PEN 1.34
$0.33 ฿10.58
12.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 PEN 7.92
$2.12 ฿68.6
3.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.92 PEN 21.38
$3.73 ฿121
58.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.6 PEN 5.78
$1.64 ฿53.2
-2.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 PEN 4.45
$1.57 ฿50.9
-21.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 PEN 4.4
$1.19 ฿38.62
2.52%
Eggs
$2.09 PEN 7.54
$1.98 ฿64.1
5.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.39 PEN 19.49
$15.99 ฿517
-66.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.42 PEN 19.58
$3.12 ฿101
73.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.73 PEN 27.92
$11.16 ฿361
-30.73%
Apples (1kg)
$1.52 PEN 5.48
$2.76 ฿89.2
-44.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 PEN 4.39
$1.22 ฿39.5
-0.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.22 PEN 4.41
$1.71 ฿55.4
-28.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.8 PEN 2.89
$1.55 ฿50.2
-48.39%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 PEN 2.11
$1.34 ฿43.21
-56.72%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 PEN 1.97
$1.21 ฿39.23
-54.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 PEN 1.71
$0.72 ฿23.2
-34.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 PEN 2.58
$0.53 ฿17.05
33.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.02 PEN 18.15
$4.72 ฿153
6.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.1 PEN 18.43
$18.39 ฿595
-72.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.5 PEN 9.02
$1.79 ฿57.9
39.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 PEN 8.11
$3.21 ฿104
-30.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 PEN 0.97
$0.94 ฿30.44
-71.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.9 ฿612
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 PEN 7.73
$1.42 ฿46.08
50.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 PEN 7.45
$1.35 ฿43.53
52.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.93 PEN 46.71
$7.85 ฿254
64.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 PEN 5.61
$1.25 ฿40.4
24.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K PEN 69.5K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
-9.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.9K PEN 89.8K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
13.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.77 PEN 144
$70.6 ฿2,285
-43.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.54 PEN 38.09
$13.72 ฿444
-23.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.12 PEN 112
$17.56 ฿568
77.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.83 PEN 78.9
$41.64 ฿1,347
-47.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.56 PEN 30.91
$6.9 ฿223
24.06%
Cinema Ticket
$4.57 PEN 16.51
$5.8 ฿188
-21.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$60.1 PEN 217
$308 ฿9,963
-80.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,375 PEN 23K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-56.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.87 PEN 133
$55.4 ฿1,793
-33.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.42 PEN 81
$26.4 ฿854
-15.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.2 PEN 225
$85.1 ฿2,755
-26.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.2 PEN 199
$71.8 ฿2,323
-23.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$239 PEN 865
$434 ฿14K
-44.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 PEN 562
$235 ฿7,610
-33.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$532 PEN 1,921
$821 ฿26.6K
-35.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$396 PEN 1,429
$498 ฿16.1K
-20.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,431 PEN 8,781
$2,180 ฿70.6K
11.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,336 PEN 4,826
$1,543 ฿49.9K
-13.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arequipa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$637 PEN 2,301
$703 ฿22.8K
-9.46%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.