Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Antiguo Cuscatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan: $810 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 Antiguo Cuscatlan
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Antiguo Cuscatlan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Antiguo Cuscatlan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Antiguo Cuscatlan

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Antiguo Cuscatlan $810

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,304 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,304

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,798 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,798

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Antiguo Cuscatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Antiguo Cuscatlan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Antiguo Cuscatlan 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.93 $6.93

-67.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$45.34 $45.34

-58.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.13 $7.13

-22.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.63 $3.63

-53.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.12 $1.12

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.81 $0.81

-61.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.04 $2.04

15.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.58 $3.58

2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.80 $1.80

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.89 $2.89

-50.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.40 $1.40

-5.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.94 $2.94

-22.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.84 $7.84

109.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.87 $6.87

-59.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.34 $10.34

-9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$5.00 $5.00

-53.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.43 $1.43

-32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.63 $2.63

-39.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.36 $3.36

-55.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.01 $3.01

-57.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$3.35 $3.35

-67.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.03 $1.03

-31.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.90 $0.90

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.90 $3.90

6.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.82 $11.82

48.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.27 $2.27

-29.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.95 $2.95

-5.76%

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

$6.02 $6.02

-80.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.06 $3.06

-82.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$20.13 $20.13

-87.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.29 $1.29

12.40%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$24.7K $24.7K

-14.89%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$27.6K $27.6K

-2.24%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$129 $129

-51.74%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$21.07 $21.07

-42.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$41.89 $41.89

-51.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.92 $4.92

31.91%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$162 $162

354.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$4,664 $4,664

216.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$66.8 $66.8

-20.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$46.91 $46.91

-47.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$117 $117

-21.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$115 $115

-37.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$602 $602

-19.86%

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 Antiguo Cuscatlan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$286 35.3% 21.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$156 19.2% 43.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$192 23.7% 103% $97

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$146 18% 87.6% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$21 * 2.6% 65.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$9.8 * 1.2% 80.4% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $602 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $45 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $286 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇻 Antiguo Cuscatlan

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

02:42 2:42 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

33,767

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Antiguo Cuscatlan 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Antiguo Cuscatlan

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 Antiguo Cuscatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,215 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $602 in Antiguo Cuscatlan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $45 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Antiguo Cuscatlan costs $810 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.