Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aguadulce

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Aguadulce: $936 and $958 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Aguadulce
Learn more

Aguadulce Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Aguadulce

🇵🇦 Panama

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $958 in Aguadulce.

Chiang Mai $936
Aguadulce $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,533 in Aguadulce.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Aguadulce $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,109 in Aguadulce.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Aguadulce $2,109

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 2% less than in Aguadulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Aguadulce 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$11.61 PAB 11.61

-80.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$47.62 PAB 47.62

-60.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.79 PAB 7.79

-28.75%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-58.56%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.99 PAB 1.99

-67.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.64 PAB 1.64

-81.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-27.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.05 PAB 4.05

-9.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.92 PAB 1.92

1.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.57 PAB 2.57

-43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-61.78%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.72 PAB 2.72

-16.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$12.60 PAB 12.60

30.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.69 PAB 6.69

-58.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.57 PAB 10.57

-11.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.08 PAB 4.08

-42.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.94 PAB 1.94

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.23 PAB 4.23

-62.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.06 PAB 4.06

-63.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.51 PAB 3.51

-63.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$4.27 PAB 4.27

-74.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.37 PAB 2.37

-70.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.70 PAB 1.70

-71.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.10 PAB 6.10

-32.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.70 PAB 11.70

49.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.35 PAB 1.35

19.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.71 PAB 2.71

2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.26 PAB 0.26

234.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-52.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-71.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$21.59 PAB 21.59

-88.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.20 PAB 1.20

20.83%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$24.8K PAB 24.8K

-14.95%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

27.08%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$131 PAB 131

-52.57%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$27.94 PAB 27.94

-56.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$48.23 PAB 48.23

-58.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$45.56 PAB 45.56

-18.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.74 PAB 8.74

-25.74%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$548 PAB 548

34.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$9,480 PAB 9,480

55.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$66.1 PAB 66.1

-19.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$48.83 PAB 48.83

-49.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$94.8 PAB 94.8

-3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$113 PAB 113

-36.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.39

-12.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aguadulce: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Aguadulce

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Aguadulce

$326 34.1% 39.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Aguadulce

$145 15.2% 33.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aguadulce

$207 21.6% 119% $113

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Aguadulce

$203 21.2% 162% $126

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aguadulce

$13 * 1.3% 79.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aguadulce

$63 6.6% 25.4% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $48 in Aguadulce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $326 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇦 Aguadulce

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

06:59 6:59 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,501

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.11 PAB (1 PAB = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Aguadulce 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aguadulce

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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Aguadulce. 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 $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,437 in Aguadulce 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Aguadulce. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $958 in Aguadulce – a 2% 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, Chiang Mai and Aguadulce are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.