Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $709 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
Learn more

Arequipa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $709 in Arequipa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Arequipa $709

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,117 in Arequipa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Arequipa $1,117

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,524 in Arequipa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Arequipa $1,524

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Arequipa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Arequipa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.46 PEN 11.87

-33.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$27.89 PEN 95.8

-29.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.93 PEN 20.37

-5.40%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.42 PEN 8.31

-31.40%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.81 PEN 2.78

-13.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.39 PEN 1.33

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.09 PEN 7.16

15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.27 PEN 14.68

-13.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.34 PEN 4.61

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.36 PEN 4.66

3.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.45 PEN 4.99

-9.66%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.29 PEN 7.85

-4.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$6.25 PEN 21.47

166.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.59 PEN 15.75

-39.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.33 PEN 25.16

24.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.76 PEN 6.03

35.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.18 PEN 4.05

-12.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.13 PEN 3.88

44.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.99 PEN 3.41

51.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.67 PEN 2.29

92.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.67 PEN 2.31

65.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.56 PEN 1.91

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.76 PEN 2.60

-30.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.13 PEN 17.62

-15.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$5.18 PEN 17.80

246.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.67 PEN 9.17

-40.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.30 PEN 7.90

23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.28 PEN 0.95

207.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-40.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-71.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$13.01 PEN 44.68

-81.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.54 PEN 5.28

-6.49%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$18.9K PEN 65.0K

9.53%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$25.1K PEN 86.3K

6.61%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$23.36 PEN 80.2

166.82%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$10.26 PEN 35.24

18.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$23.44 PEN 80.5

-14.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$25.08 PEN 86.1

47.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$8.00 PEN 27.47

-52.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.35 PEN 25.24

-11.56%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$75.3 PEN 258

953.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$6,598 PEN 22.7K

124.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$47.74 PEN 164

12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$26.42 PEN 90.7

-6.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$67.6 PEN 232

34.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$57.5 PEN 198

23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$347 PEN 1,192

31.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$237 PEN 813

25.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$719 PEN 2,471

26.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$419 PEN 1,439

32.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,963 PEN 6,740

-1.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$989 PEN 3,397

46.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$619 PEN 2,125

-4.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-62.87%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Arequipa

$237 33.4% 20.5% $61

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Arequipa

$174 24.5% 26.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 17.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 39.6% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Arequipa

$98 13.9% 25% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.9% 78.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 20.6% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $347 in Arequipa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 5% higher in Arequipa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $28.00 in Arequipa. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $174 in Arequipa – so Arequipa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

21:30 9:30 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,062

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Arequipa 18,980 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Arequipa

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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,063 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $28.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $709 versus $925 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.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.