Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $547 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
Learn more

Cerro de Pasco Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $547 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cerro de Pasco $547

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $883 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cerro de Pasco $883

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,218 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cerro de Pasco $1,218

Chiang Mai costs about 71% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Cerro de Pasco are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cerro de Pasco 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.84 PEN 9.80

-21.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$29.57 PEN 102

-35.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.04 PEN 24.27

-21.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.99 PEN 6.86

-16.08%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.71 PEN 2.44

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.45 PEN 1.57

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.68 PEN 9.23

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.38 PEN 15.09

-16.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.47 PEN 5.08

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.34 PEN 8.07

-38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.26 PEN 4.34

5.56%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.38 PEN 8.20

-4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$9.22 PEN 31.77

78.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.81 PEN 20.01

-52.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.02 PEN 27.63

16.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.96 PEN 6.76

19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.75 PEN 2.59

29.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.45 PEN 1.57

255.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.15 PEN 3.95

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.76 PEN 2.61

68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.51 PEN 1.74

115.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.90 PEN 3.11

-21.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.88 PEN 3.04

-44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.83 PEN 20.10

-28.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.07 PEN 24.36

147.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.92 PEN 6.62

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.60 PEN 8.95

6.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.42 PEN 11.80

-66.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.99 PEN 6.84

-73.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.65 PEN 26.36

-68.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.71 PEN 5.91

-15.20%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$21.6K PEN 74.5K

-2.52%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$28.4K PEN 98.0K

-5.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$68.2 PEN 235

-8.81%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.73 PEN 54.2

-22.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$26.89 PEN 92.7

-25.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.33 PEN 25.28

-11.46%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$306 PEN 1,056

140.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

13.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$52.3 PEN 180

2.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$35.37 PEN 122

-30.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$84.4 PEN 291

8.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$77.8 PEN 268

-7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$405 PEN 1,396

148.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$463 PEN 1,597

27.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.78

-36.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$202 36.8% 13.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.5% 3.5% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$111 20.2% 17.3% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17.3% 21.9% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$13 * 2.4% 78.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cerro de Pasco

$15 * 2.7% 70.8% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 27% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Cerro de Pasco. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $202 in Cerro de Pasco – so Cerro de Pasco wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

58,899

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cerro de Pasco 18,980 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $821 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $30 in Cerro de Pasco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $547 in Cerro de Pasco to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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