Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabarete and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,191 in Cabarete, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Cabarete
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Cabarete Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cabarete

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,191

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabarete 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 Cabarete and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,191 in Cabarete versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Cabarete $1,191
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,800 in Cabarete versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Cabarete $1,800
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Cabarete versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Cabarete $2,409
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Cabarete is roughly 27% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cabarete 12% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.60 DOP 459

$2.24 ฿75.6

239.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 DOP 3,024

$19.00 ฿641

163.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 DOP 394

$5.55 ฿187

17.66%

Cappuccino

$2.01 DOP 121

$1.67 ฿56.5

20.36%

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

$1.06 DOP 63.8

$0.64 ฿21.54

65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 DOP 34.95

$0.31 ฿10.31

87.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 DOP 145

$2.36 ฿79.5

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 DOP 190

$3.66 ฿124

-13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 DOP 84.8

$1.95 ฿65.7

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 DOP 91.6

$1.44 ฿48.46

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 DOP 97.7

$1.33 ฿45.03

21.80%

Eggs

$2.30 DOP 139

$2.28 ฿77.1

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 DOP 429

$16.45 ฿555

-56.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 DOP 323

$2.78 ฿93.9

92.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 DOP 406

$9.31 ฿314

-27.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 DOP 176

$2.35 ฿79.4

23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 DOP 47.72

$0.97 ฿32.79

-18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 DOP 163

$1.60 ฿53.9

68.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 DOP 111

$1.50 ฿50.6

22.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 DOP 123

$1.28 ฿43.11

59.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 DOP 134

$1.10 ฿37.18

101.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 DOP 58.7

$0.71 ฿23.82

36.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 DOP 51.6

$0.49 ฿16.36

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 DOP 248

$4.14 ฿140

-0.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 DOP 619

$17.52 ฿591

-41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 DOP 155

$1.61 ฿54.5

59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 DOP 146

$2.78 ฿93.9

-12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 DOP 62.2

$0.87 ฿29.30

18.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 DOP 200

$1.16 ฿39.04

184.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 DOP 135

$0.53 ฿17.80

322.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 DOP 343

$2.42 ฿81.7

134.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 DOP 73.9

$1.45 ฿48.88

-15.86%

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

$26.8K DOP 1.6M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

27.35%

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

$33.6K DOP 2.0M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

24.76%

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

$90.2 DOP 5,451

$62.2 ฿2,098

45.10%

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

$31.17 DOP 1,883

$12.17 ฿411

156.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.44 DOP 2,202

$20.12 ฿679

81.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.37 DOP 1,472

$37.31 ฿1,259

-34.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 DOP 440

$6.49 ฿219

12.33%

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

$246 DOP 14.9K

$736 ฿24.8K

-66.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,266 DOP 439.0K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-50.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.08 DOP 2,724

$53.4 ฿1,801

-15.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.53 DOP 2,751

$24.64 ฿831

84.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 DOP 5,225

$91.5 ฿3,087

-5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 DOP 7,402

$71.9 ฿2,427

70.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 DOP 43.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

47.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 DOP 30.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

60.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 DOP 73.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

21.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 DOP 48.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

27.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$293 DOP 17.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-81.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

5.57

143.45%

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

Last update for Cabarete: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabarete

$497 41.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 37.8% $188

Groceries & Markets

Cabarete

$215 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabarete

$158 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 40.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cabarete

$135 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 19.4% $26

Eating Out

Cabarete

$129 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 40% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cabarete

$39 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.1% $11

Getting Around

Cabarete

$19 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 230% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $713 in Cabarete and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50 in Cabarete vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $234, with Cabarete cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Cabarete

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

16:01 4:01 PM

11 h ahead of Cabarete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,094

127,240

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.43 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cabarete Chiang Mai 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabarete
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Cabarete. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,787 in Cabarete and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $713 in Cabarete versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $246 in Cabarete versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $50 in Cabarete. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cabarete and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.