Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Catamarca and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,241 in Catamarca, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
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Catamarca Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,241

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,241 in Catamarca versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Catamarca $1,241
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,080 in Catamarca versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Catamarca $2,080
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Catamarca versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Catamarca $2,920
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Catamarca is roughly 33% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Catamarca 9% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 ARS 25.9K

$2.24 ฿75.7

650.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 ARS 97.9K

$19.00 ฿642

234.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 ARS 17.3K

$5.55 ฿188

102.88%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ARS 5,411

$1.67 ฿56.6

110.78%

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

$2.30 ARS 3,534

$0.64 ฿21.56

259.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 3,038

$0.31 ฿10.32

535.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 ARS 6,510

$2.36 ฿79.6

79.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ARS 5,391

$3.66 ฿124

-4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ARS 1,859

$1.95 ฿65.8

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ARS 3,183

$1.44 ฿48.51

43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 ARS 3,012

$1.33 ฿45.07

47.37%

Eggs

$2.79 ARS 4,294

$2.28 ฿77.1

22.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 ARS 20.3K

$16.45 ฿556

-19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 ARS 12.9K

$2.78 ฿94.0

202.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 ARS 16.4K

$9.31 ฿314

14.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ARS 3,471

$2.35 ฿79.5

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ARS 3,000

$0.97 ฿32.82

101.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.60 ฿53.9

-13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ARS 3,542

$1.50 ฿50.7

53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ARS 1,674

$1.28 ฿43.15

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ARS 1,541

$1.10 ฿37.22

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ARS 2,030

$0.49 ฿16.38

169.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ARS 4,889

$4.14 ฿140

-23.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 ARS 8,583

$17.52 ฿592

-68.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,920

$1.61 ฿54.5

18.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ARS 5,182

$2.78 ฿94.0

21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ARS 1,384

$0.87 ฿29.33

3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 ARS 2,665

$1.16 ฿39.08

49.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ARS 2,044

$1.45 ฿48.93

-8.28%

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

$27.4K ARS 42.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

30.05%

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

$34.2K ARS 52.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

26.97%

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

$135 ARS 207.0K

$62.2 ฿2,100

116.45%

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

$14.59 ARS 22.4K

$12.17 ฿411

19.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 ARS 39.2K

$20.12 ฿680

26.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.94 ARS 55.3K

$37.31 ฿1,260

-3.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.93 ARS 27.6K

$3.77 ฿127

375.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 ARS 12.5K

$6.49 ฿219

24.81%

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

$216 ARS 331.6K

$736 ฿24.9K

-70.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,300 ARS 6.6M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-70.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 187.2K

$53.4 ฿1,802

128.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.1 ARS 126.2K

$24.64 ฿832

233.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ARS 185.3K

$91.5 ฿3,089

31.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ARS 151.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

37.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ARS 727.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

-2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ARS 474.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-0.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 ARS 1.8M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

16.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ARS 1.2M

$633 ฿21.4K

18.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,292 ARS 2.0M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-18.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Catamarca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Catamarca

$309 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Catamarca

$256 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.7% $178

Groceries & Markets

Catamarca

$254 * 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Catamarca

$190 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 42.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Catamarca

$175 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Catamarca

$52 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Catamarca

$5.3 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1051% $56

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 $473 in Catamarca and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64 in Catamarca vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

21:06 9:06 PM

10 h ahead of Catamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,058

127,240

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Catamarca Chiang Mai 18,130 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Catamarca
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Catamarca. 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 $1,862 in Catamarca 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: $473 in Catamarca versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Catamarca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,241 per month in Catamarca versus $936 in Chiang Mai – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Catamarca and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.