Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bonao

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonao: $678 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
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Bonao Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $678 in Bonao.

Chiang Mai $935
Bonao $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,117 in Bonao.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bonao $1,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,556 in Bonao.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bonao $1,556

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 38% more expensive than in Bonao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bonao 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$9.74 DOP 585

-78.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$48.85 DOP 2,934

-61.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.64 DOP 459

-26.70%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.93 DOP 116

-13.99%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$1.06 DOP 63.5

-38.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.57 DOP 34.39

-47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.51 DOP 151

-7.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.14 DOP 189

16.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.02 DOP 61.5

98.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.03 DOP 61.8

36.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$0.66 DOP 39.83

110.61%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.16 DOP 69.9

104.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$4.84 DOP 291

241.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.45 DOP 327

-51.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.67 DOP 400

35.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.34 DOP 141

2.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.64 DOP 38.14

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.63 DOP 158

-36.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.40 DOP 84.3

11.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$2.01 DOP 121

-38.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.54 DOP 92.7

-29.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.02 DOP 61.2

-25.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.47 DOP 28.11

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.19 DOP 312

-20.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$6.86 DOP 412

161.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.04 DOP 122

-20.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.83 DOP 170

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.58 DOP 34.58

60.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$34.90 DOP 2,096

51.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$3.19 DOP 192

-63.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$2.26 DOP 136

-92.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.48 DOP 149

-27.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.43 DOP 86.2

2.80%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$29.2K DOP 1.8M

-28.07%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

-20.16%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$91.6 DOP 5,503

-31.73%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$30.86 DOP 1,854

-62.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$35.71 DOP 2,144

-43.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.34 DOP 441

-11.31%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$246 DOP 14.8K

196.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$7,464 DOP 448.3K

122.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$44.87 DOP 2,695

19.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$46.00 DOP 2,763

-46.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$84.6 DOP 5,084

6.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$121 DOP 7,262

-40.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

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

13.56

-58.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bonao: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bonao

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bonao

$171 25.2% 27.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bonao

$133 19.7% 23.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bonao

$158 23.3% 67.5% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bonao

$149 22% 95% $73

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bonao

$52 7.6% 11.9% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bonao

$15 * 2.2% 71.1% $36

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 $49 in Bonao. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $171, with Bonao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇴 Bonao

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

22:41 10:41 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

158,034

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bonao 15,660 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bonao

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 Bonao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $678 in Bonao, so Bonao is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,018 in Bonao 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.

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

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $246 in Bonao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bonao gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.