Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atenas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,548 in Atenas, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Atenas and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Atenas and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Atenas vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Atenas $1,548
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,527 per month in Atenas vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Atenas $2,527
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,506 per month in Atenas vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Atenas $3,506
Chiang Mai $1,979

Atenas costs about 65% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Atenas sits 14% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 ₡4,344

$2.24 ฿75.5

331.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 ₡25.3K

$19.00 ฿640

196.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 ₡5,300

$5.55 ฿187

112.43%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₡1,721

$1.67 ฿56.4

129.34%

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

$2.77 ₡1,244

$0.64 ฿21.51

332.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡872

$0.31 ฿10.29

525.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,519

$2.36 ฿79.5

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 ₡1,997

$3.66 ฿123

21.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,075

$1.95 ฿65.7

22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$1.44 ฿48.41

113.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,012

$1.33 ฿44.97

69.17%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,564

$2.28 ฿77.0

52.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,828

$16.45 ฿554

-34.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 ₡4,293

$2.78 ฿93.8

243.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 ₡4,683

$9.31 ฿314

11.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 ₡2,031

$2.35 ฿79.3

92.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$0.97 ฿32.75

67.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 ₡1,193

$1.60 ฿53.8

65.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 ₡1,103

$1.50 ฿50.6

63.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,712

$1.28 ฿43.06

197.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,169

$1.10 ฿37.14

136.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.71 ฿23.79

57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₡1,399

$0.49 ฿16.34

534.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 ₡2,716

$4.14 ฿140

45.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.82 ₡8,464

$17.52 ฿590

7.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,183

$1.61 ฿54.4

63.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,200

$2.78 ฿93.8

-3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 ₡994

$0.87 ฿29.27

154.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,122

$1.16 ฿39.00

115.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.53 ฿17.78

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,902

$2.42 ฿81.6

258.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$1.45 ฿48.82

3.45%

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

$33.7K ₡15.2M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

60.25%

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

$42.1K ₡18.9M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

56.12%

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

$94.0 ₡42.2K

$62.2 ฿2,095

51.12%

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

$35.77 ₡16.1K

$12.17 ฿410

193.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 ₡23.5K

$20.12 ฿678

159.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.83 ₡21.5K

$37.31 ฿1,257

28.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 ₡4,976

$3.77 ฿127

193.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ₡3,394

$6.49 ฿219

16.33%

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

$975 ₡438.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

32.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,667 ₡3.0M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-54.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$53.4 ฿1,799

34.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 ₡24.4K

$24.64 ฿830

120.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.9K

$91.5 ฿3,083

38.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.6K

$71.9 ฿2,424

81.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₡299.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

38.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 ₡247.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

77.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 ₡691.1K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

52.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 ₡559.5K

$633 ฿21.3K

96.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,330 ₡598.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

125.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Atenas: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Atenas

$550 35.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 43.8% $241

Groceries & Markets

Atenas

$358 23.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.6% $124

Eating Out

Atenas

$203 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 61.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atenas

$182 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Atenas

$172 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 37% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Atenas

$63 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.1% $13

Getting Around

Atenas

$19 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 220% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $666 in Atenas versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Atenas are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Atenas versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Atenas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

10:29 10:29 AM

13 h ahead of Atenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Atenas Chiang Mai 16,800 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Atenas
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Atenas vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Atenas is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Atenas and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $666 in Atenas.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Atenas and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Atenas, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,548 in Atenas and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Atenas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.