Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bahia de Caraquez

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $873 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $740 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
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Bahia de Caraquez Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Bahia de Caraquez $873

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,437 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bahia de Caraquez $1,437

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,002 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bahia de Caraquez $2,002

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Bahia de Caraquez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Bahia de Caraquez are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bahia de Caraquez 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$3.97 $3.97

-46.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$53.2 $53.2

-65.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$8.82 $8.82

-36.51%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.79 $2.79

-40.50%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.92 $0.92

-29.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.68 $0.68

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.98 $2.98

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.20 $4.20

-12.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.21 $1.21

66.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$2.01 $2.01

-29.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.41 $1.41

-1.42%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.08 $2.08

13.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$6.89 $6.89

139.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.21 $5.21

-48.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$8.99 $8.99

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.52 $1.52

57.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.16 $1.16

-10.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.02 $1.02

62.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.95 $0.95

64.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.27 $1.27

-2.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.92 $0.92

18.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.83 $0.83

-8.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.93 $0.93

-45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.83 $5.83

-29.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$11.84 $11.84

51.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.54 $1.54

5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.19 $2.19

28.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.34 $0.34

173.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$2.71 $2.71

-56.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.72 $1.72

-90.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$11.85 $11.85

-84.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.84 $0.84

75.00%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$22.5K $22.5K

-6.79%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$31.1K $31.1K

-14.68%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$33.68 $33.68

85.75%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$15.13 $15.13

-23.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$26.40 $26.40

-23.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$29.48 $29.48

28.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$16.45 $16.45

-77.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.64 $7.64

-14.79%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$375 $375

93.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$5,635 $5,635

194.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$66.0 $66.0

-18.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$41.24 $41.24

-39.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$125 $125

-27.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$92.4 $92.4

-22.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$414 $414

16.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$274 $274

13.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$834 $834

26.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$509 $509

29.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.05

-44.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bahia de Caraquez: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bahia de Caraquez

$274 31.3% 11.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bahia de Caraquez

$199 22.8% 15.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 16.8% 35% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bahia de Caraquez

$75 8.6% 20.4% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$121 13.9% 58.6% $45

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bahia de Caraquez

$13 * 1.5% 78.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bahia de Caraquez

$45 5.1% 12% $6.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $414 in Bahia de Caraquez. 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 $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $199 in Bahia de Caraquez – so Bahia de Caraquez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

20:09 8:09 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

24,963

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bahia de Caraquez 17,990 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai, $873 in Bahia de Caraquez – Bahia de Caraquez comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,309 in Bahia de Caraquez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bahia de Caraquez has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $873 in Bahia de Caraquez to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.