Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ayacucho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayacucho: $474 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ayacucho
Learn more

Ayacucho Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ayacucho

🇵🇪 Peru

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $474 in Ayacucho.

Chiang Mai $936
Ayacucho $474

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $766 in Ayacucho.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ayacucho $766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,058 in Ayacucho.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ayacucho $1,058

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 97% more expensive than in Ayacucho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ayacucho 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.69 PEN 5.82

32.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.78 PEN 6.12

-6.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.91 PEN 3.14

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.30 PEN 1.04

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.47 PEN 5.08

60.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.38 PEN 15.09

-16.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.56 PEN 1.93

137.50%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.79 PEN 6.17

27.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$2.95 PEN 10.18

457.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.27 PEN 14.73

-34.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.66 PEN 19.50

64.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.18 PEN 4.08

99.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.57 PEN 1.96

70.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.60 PEN 2.09

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.56 PEN 1.93

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.30 PEN 1.05

326.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.30 PEN 1.04

266.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.28 PEN 0.95

153.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.88 PEN 3.03

-44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.90 PEN 20.32

196.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.98 PEN 10.27

-45.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.40 PEN 15.16

-36.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.61 PEN 2.10

42.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$35.47 PEN 122

52.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.26 PEN 7.80

-48.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.15 PEN 3.95

-53.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.31 PEN 14.85

-43.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.71 PEN 5.88

-15.20%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$9,956 PEN 34.3K

111.51%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$12.3K PEN 42.5K

118.68%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.47 PEN 39.52

6.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$17.16 PEN 59.2

17.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$14.48 PEN 49.91

157.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$29.41 PEN 101

-87.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.44 PEN 15.31

46.17%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$72.4 PEN 250

916.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$17.29 PEN 59.6

208.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$26.45 PEN 91.2

-6.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$102 PEN 353

-10.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$103 PEN 355

-30.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$342 PEN 1,180

40.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$88.5 PEN 305

249.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$861 PEN 2,968

16.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$232 PEN 799

173.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,884 PEN 6,493

25.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,739 PEN 5,995

-8.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$471 PEN 1,624

25.15%

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 Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ayacucho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ayacucho

$88 18.7% 71.4% $220

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ayacucho

$120 * 25.3% 48.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ayacucho

$112 23.6% 3.1% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ayacucho

$29 * 6% 69.7% $66

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ayacucho

$56 * 11.8% 28.1% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ayacucho

$46 9.7% 25.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ayacucho

$23 4.9% 53.5% $27

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 $482 in Chiang Mai and $342 in Ayacucho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 25% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Ayacucho

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

99,427

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ayacucho 19,060 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ayacucho

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 Ayacucho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ayacucho wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ayacucho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $342 in Ayacucho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $72 in Ayacucho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Ayacucho runs roughly 34% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $474 in Ayacucho versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Ayacucho but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Ayacucho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Ayacucho are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ayacucho wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.