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

😐 Solo nomad: Cartago is 80% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 71.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartago is 75.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 54.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.91 ₡3,921

$1.97 ฿62.0

301.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 ₡15.9K

$18.68 ฿587

71.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.83 ₡4,380

$7.92 ฿249

11.49%

Cappuccino

$3.92 ₡1,944

$2.02 ฿63.7

94.06%

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

$2.03 ₡1,007

$0.84 ฿26.45

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₡617

$0.35 ฿11.07

254.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₡1,000

$2.22 ฿69.9

-9.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 ₡2,268

$3.59 ฿113

27.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡1,012

$1.67 ฿52.4

22.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 ₡1,104

$1.62 ฿51.1

37.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ₡1,079

$1.20 ฿37.83

81.67%

Eggs

$2.94 ₡1,459

$1.93 ฿60.8

52.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 ₡3,973

$16.00 ฿503

-49.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 ₡4,642

$3.16 ฿99.2

196.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.59 ₡6,737

$10.93 ฿344

24.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 ₡2,213

$2.67 ฿83.8

67.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ₡580

$1.18 ฿36.99

-0.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,948

$1.64 ฿51.5

139.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 ₡1,349

$1.59 ฿49.83

71.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 ₡998

$1.32 ฿41.64

52.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 ₡994

$1.19 ฿37.49

68.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 ₡473

$0.71 ฿22.20

33.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₡966

$0.56 ฿17.75

248.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 ₡2,586

$4.64 ฿146

12.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 ₡6,957

$18.96 ฿596

-26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₡1,207

$1.77 ฿55.7

37.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡911

$3.20 ฿101

-42.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ₡506

$0.90 ฿28.32

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.9 ₡34.6K

$19.24 ฿605

263.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ₡702

$1.36 ฿42.78

4.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 ₡887

$1.35 ฿42.37

32.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 ₡3,963

$8.15 ฿256

-1.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₡703

$1.22 ฿38.43

16.39%

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

$38.3K ₡19.0M

$21.4K ฿671.8K

79.33%

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

$32.1K ₡15.9M

$21.7K ฿683.8K

47.37%

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

$48.20 ₡23.9K

$70.3 ฿2,210

-31.44%

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

$25.57 ₡12.7K

$13.91 ฿437

83.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 ₡27.9K

$18.00 ฿566

212.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 ₡27.8K

$41.78 ฿1,314

34.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 ₡11.9K

$6.80 ฿214

252.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 ₡3,269

$5.72 ฿180

15.21%

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

$496 ₡245.9K

$308 ฿9,693

60.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,196 ₡3.6M

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-51.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡30.6K

$55.9 ฿1,756

10.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 ₡25.5K

$26.71 ฿840

92.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡54.4K

$84.5 ฿2,658

29.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 ₡39.7K

$70.8 ฿2,227

12.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 ₡375.4K

$431 ฿13.5K

75.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 ₡291.5K

$237 ฿7,439

148.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ₡362.2K

$811 ฿25.5K

-9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡376.9K

$501 ฿15.7K

51.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,228 ₡608.8K

$684 ฿21.5K

79.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100.00%

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

Last update for Cartago: January 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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

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