Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Concordia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,176 in Concordia, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Concordia
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Concordia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Concordia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,176 in Concordia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Concordia $1,176

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,057 in Concordia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Concordia $2,057

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,938 in Concordia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Concordia $2,938

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Concordia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Concordia are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Concordia 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$16.50 ARS 25.0K

-86.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$57.9 ARS 87.8K

-66.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$14.29 ARS 21.7K

-60.88%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.85 ARS 5,840

-55.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.25 ARS 3,419

-71.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.91 ARS 2,904

-82.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.88 ARS 5,890

-39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.72 ARS 5,642

4.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.37 ARS 2,079

49.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.03 ARS 3,080

-31.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.13 ARS 3,235

-39.91%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.77 ARS 4,208

-18.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.19 ARS 17.0K

51.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.47 ARS 11.3K

-63.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.42 ARS 18.8K

-24.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.13 ARS 3,232

12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.02 ARS 3,062

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.63 ARS 2,469

-1.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.63 ARS 3,995

-42.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.94 ARS 1,433

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.90 ARS 1,362

23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.65 ARS 2,506

-68.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.76 ARS 5,705

15.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$5.03 ARS 7,635

252.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.99 ARS 3,016

-18.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.23 ARS 4,902

-11.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.91 ARS 1,386

-6.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.57 ARS 2,379

-25.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.25 ARS 1,890

16.00%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

-25.86%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$32.5K ARS 49.3M

-18.35%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$129 ARS 195.6K

-51.64%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$15.93 ARS 24.2K

-22.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$24.12 ARS 36.6K

-17.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$28.64 ARS 43.5K

32.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$8.01 ARS 12.2K

-16.23%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$300 ARS 455.7K

165.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$106 ARS 160.3K

-49.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$114 ARS 172.6K

-19.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$126 ARS 190.9K

-41.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$526 ARS 797.8K

-11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$282 ARS 428.6K

7.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$966 ARS 1.5M

-5.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$894 ARS 1.4M

-38.22%

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 Concordia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Concordia

$282 24% 7.3% $22

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Concordia

$255 * 21.7% 7.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Concordia

$155 * 13.2% 41.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Concordia

$169 14.4% 78.6% $74

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Concordia

$265 22.5% 235% $186

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Concordia

$5.2 * 0.4% 91.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Concordia

$45 3.8% 13% $6.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $526 in Concordia. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $58.0 in Concordia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $255 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇷 Concordia

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

149,450

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Concordia 17,320 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Concordia

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 Concordia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Concordia costs about 25% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,764 in Concordia. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $58.0 in Concordia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Concordia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Concordia at $1,176. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Concordia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,176 in Concordia. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Concordia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.