Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chiquimula

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiquimula: $819 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Chiquimula

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $819 in Chiquimula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Chiquimula $819

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,358 in Chiquimula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Chiquimula $1,358

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,896 in Chiquimula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Chiquimula $1,896

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Chiquimula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Chiquimula are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Chiquimula 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$9.03 Q 69.1

-74.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$51.4 Q 393

-62.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$8.54 Q 65.3

-34.54%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.03 Q 30.82

-57.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.10 Q 16.09

-69.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.53 Q 11.70

-78.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.80 Q 29.07

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$5.79 Q 44.28

-32.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.04 Q 15.56

0.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.75 Q 28.67

-62.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.91 Q 14.57

-32.98%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.36 Q 18.05

-4.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$5.31 Q 40.59

219.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$13.73 Q 105

-80.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.18 Q 77.8

-8.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$5.02 Q 38.39

-52.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.37 Q 18.11

-57.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$5.22 Q 39.87

-69.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.57 Q 12.01

-3.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.94 Q 14.82

-34.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.73 Q 13.23

-35.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.33 Q 10.16

-45.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.36 Q 10.42

-61.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.87 Q 29.61

11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.73 Q 59.1

129.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.82 Q 21.58

-42.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.76 Q 28.73

-24.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$4.71 Q 36.00

-75.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.33 Q 10.19

9.02%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$22.4K Q 171.5K

-8.72%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$21.8K Q 166.6K

21.66%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$57.9 Q 443

7.65%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$38.55 Q 295

-68.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$62.2 Q 475

-67.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$8.21 Q 62.8

-18.27%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$545 Q 4,170

46.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$14.0K Q 106.9K

6.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$43.70 Q 334

21.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$53.7 Q 411

-53.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$92.6 Q 708

-1.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$79.8 Q 610

-7.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 13, 2026

Last update for Chiquimula: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Chiquimula

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Chiquimula

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Chiquimula

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Chiquimula

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Chiquimula

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Chiquimula

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Chiquimula

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $51.0 in Chiquimula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $326 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇹 Chiquimula

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

79,815

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Chiquimula 16,170 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chiquimula

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 Chiquimula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Chiquimula, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,228 in Chiquimula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $51.0 in Chiquimula. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 37% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chiquimula, where all-in costs run around $819, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Chiquimula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiquimula costs $819 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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