Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caracas

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,338 in Caracas, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Caracas
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Caracas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Caracas

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$1,338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,338 in Caracas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Caracas $1,338

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,235 in Caracas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Caracas $2,235

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,133 in Caracas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Caracas $3,133

Chiang Mai is about 31% cheaper than Caracas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Caracas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Caracas 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$10.98 VES 9,642

-79.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$67.1 VES 58.9K

-70.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$11.16 VES 9,796

-49.73%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.55 VES 3,114

-53.24%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.52 VES 1,332

-53.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.30 VES 1,144

-76.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.06 VES 1,805

16.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.05 VES 2,680

21.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$2.64 VES 2,313

-26.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.31 VES 2,032

-38.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.85 VES 1,624

-29.19%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.64 VES 4,076

-53.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.35 VES 9,083

60.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$9.20 VES 8,074

-70.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.64 VES 10.2K

-21.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$7.43 VES 6,525

-67.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.04 VES 1,794

-49.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.20 VES 1,931

-25.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.38 VES 2,087

-36.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.24 VES 1,965

-42.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.23 VES 1,958

-50.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.62 VES 1,424

-55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$2.41 VES 2,119

-78.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.71 VES 4,132

-8.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$11.84 VES 10.4K

51.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.42 VES 1,246

11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.09 VES 1,839

35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.51 VES 448

68.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$30.43 VES 26.7K

75.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$5.08 VES 4,459

-76.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.83 VES 2,483

-79.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$14.80 VES 13.0K

-84.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.88 VES 772

63.64%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$24.7K VES 21.7M

-16.16%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$39.7K VES 34.8M

-32.42%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$21.94 VES 19.3K

184.09%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$11.99 VES 10.5K

1.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$37.39 VES 32.8K

-46.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$65.9 VES 57.8K

-43.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$17.83 VES 15.7K

-78.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.53 VES 5,735

-0.46%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$158 VES 138.4K

402.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$6,066 VES 5.3M

144.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$81.6 VES 71.6K

-34.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$51.2 VES 45.0K

-51.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$136 VES 119.2K

-33.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$131 VES 115.2K

-45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$604 VES 529.9K

-24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$425 VES 373.1K

-29.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,103 VES 968.0K

-17.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$861 VES 755.7K

-35.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,464 VES 1.3M

31.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$683 VES 599.8K

111.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$303 VES 266.1K

94.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-74.68%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Caracas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Caracas

$425 31.8% 42.7% $127

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Caracas

$339 25.4% 44% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Caracas

$180 13.5% 66.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Caracas

$71 5.3% 24.4% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Caracas

$192 14.3% 144% $113

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Caracas

$52 3.9% 14.9% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Caracas

$79 5.9% 57.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $604 in Caracas. 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 95% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $67.0 in Caracas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $339 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇪 Caracas

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,274,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Caracas 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caracas

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 Caracas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caracas is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,006 in Caracas. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 75% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $158 in Caracas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Caracas at $1,338. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caracas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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