Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aguilares

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguilares: $813 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Aguilares
Learn more

Aguilares Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Aguilares

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aguilares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $813 in Aguilares.

Chiang Mai $936
Aguilares $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,306 in Aguilares.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Aguilares $1,306

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,799 in Aguilares.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Aguilares $1,799

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 15% more expensive than in Aguilares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Aguilares 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.94 $6.94

-67.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$44.31 $44.31

-57.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.11 $7.11

-21.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.50 $3.50

-52.29%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.13 $1.13

-43.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.84 $0.84

-63.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.03 $2.03

16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.64 $3.64

0.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.89 $1.89

3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.81 $2.81

-48.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.39 $1.39

-4.32%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.97 $2.97

-23.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.85 $7.85

109.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.10 $7.10

-60.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.08 $10.08

-7.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$5.02 $5.02

-53.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.42 $1.42

-31.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.64 $2.64

-39.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.40 $3.40

-55.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.96 $2.96

-56.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$3.31 $3.31

-66.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.01 $1.01

-29.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.98 $0.98

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.98 $3.98

4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.02 $12.02

45.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.25 $2.25

-28.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.98 $2.98

-6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.91 $5.91

-80.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.08 $3.08

-82.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$19.91 $19.91

-87.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.30 $1.30

11.54%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$25.1K $25.1K

-15.95%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$27.5K $27.5K

-1.95%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$128 $128

-51.54%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$21.65 $21.65

-43.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$43.30 $43.30

-53.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.91 $4.91

32.18%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$160 $160

360.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$4,795 $4,795

207.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$65.9 $65.9

-18.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$47.25 $47.25

-47.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$120 $120

-23.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$116 $116

-37.84%

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

8.5

-34.47%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aguilares: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Aguilares

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Aguilares

$287 35.4% 22.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Aguilares

$157 19.3% 44.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aguilares

$193 23.8% 105% $99

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Aguilares

$144 17.7% 85.8% $67

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aguilares

$21 * 2.6% 65.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aguilares

$9.8 * 1.2% 80.5% $40

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 $44 in Aguilares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $287 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇻 Aguilares

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

21,445

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Aguilares 16,270 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aguilares

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 Aguilares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguilares wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Aguilares the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,220 in Aguilares 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.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $160 in Aguilares. 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 $44 in Aguilares. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Aguilares 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.