Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $587 in Calama versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Calama $587
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Calama versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Calama $1,195
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Calama versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Calama $1,802
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Calama costs roughly 37% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calama 57% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 CLP 6,816

$2.24 ฿75.7

209.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.87 CLP 31.4K

$19.00 ฿642

67.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

Cappuccino

$1.99 CLP 1,957

$1.67 ฿56.6

19.16%

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

$0.87 CLP 858

$0.64 ฿21.56

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 851

$0.31 ฿10.32

180.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 CLP 2,934

$2.36 ฿79.6

26.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CLP 4,828

$3.66 ฿124

34.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 CLP 1,103

$1.95 ฿65.8

-42.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 CLP 784

$1.44 ฿48.51

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 CLP 2,636

$1.33 ฿45.07

101.50%

Eggs

$4.80 CLP 4,723

$2.28 ฿77.1

110.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CLP 8,835

$16.45 ฿556

-45.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 CLP 6,032

$2.78 ฿94.0

120.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 CLP 7,304

$9.31 ฿314

-20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,167

$2.35 ฿79.5

-49.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,010

$0.97 ฿32.82

6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,462

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,065

$1.50 ฿50.7

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 882

$1.28 ฿43.15

-29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CLP 960

$1.10 ฿37.22

-10.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,102

$4.14 ฿140

25.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 CLP 4,080

$17.52 ฿592

-76.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CLP 1,020

$1.61 ฿54.5

-35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,180

$2.78 ฿94.0

-56.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 935

$0.87 ฿29.33

9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CLP 1,439

$0.53 ฿17.82

175.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,401

$1.45 ฿48.93

-2.07%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

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

$40.80 CLP 40.1K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-34.37%

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

$12.17 ฿411

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 CLP 13.0K

$20.12 ฿680

-34.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 CLP 49.9K

$37.31 ฿1,260

36.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CLP 19.6K

$3.77 ฿127

429.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 CLP 4,441

$6.49 ฿219

-30.51%

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

$305 CLP 300.5K

$736 ฿24.9K

-58.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.75 CLP 34.2K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-34.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 CLP 27.6K

$24.64 ฿832

13.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.75 CLP 44.0K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-51.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 CLP 59.3K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-16.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 CLP 316.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

-33.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 CLP 101.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

-66.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 CLP 782.4K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-20.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 CLP 606.6K

$633 ฿21.4K

-2.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-40.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-23.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

$590 ฿19.9K

85.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$173 * 29.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.5% $61

Eating Out

Calama

$111 * 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 30.1% $33

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$103 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 200% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 43.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$60 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.9% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$54 * 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 75% $40

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 452% $50

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 $322 in Calama and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 85% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Calama vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $173 vs $234, with Calama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

17:19 5:19 PM

10 h ahead of Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

127,240

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,095 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calama Chiang Mai 18,690 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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

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

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Calama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $322 in Calama versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $587 per month in Calama versus $936 in Chiang Mai – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $587 in Calama versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.