Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cumbaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Cumbaya: $889 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $560 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Cumbaya
Learn more

Cumbaya Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cumbaya

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $889 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cumbaya $889

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,464 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cumbaya $1,464

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,038 in Cumbaya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cumbaya $2,038

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Cumbaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Cumbaya are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cumbaya 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.37 $5.37

-58.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$55.0 $55.0

-65.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.66 $7.66

-27.55%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.33 $3.33

-49.85%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.43 $1.43

-55.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.09 $1.09

-71.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.42 $3.42

-30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.12 $6.12

-40.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.09 $1.09

78.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.54 $1.54

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.51 $1.51

-11.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.08 $2.08

9.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.51 $6.51

152.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.31 $5.31

-47.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.50 $7.50

24.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.20 $2.20

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.18 $1.18

-17.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.33 $1.33

20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.12 $1.12

33.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.26 $1.26

1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.03 $1.03

6.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.90 $0.90

-21.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.04 $1.04

-52.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.82 $5.82

-28.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.56 $8.56

104.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.57 $1.57

2.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.10 $3.10

-10.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.36 $0.36

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.51 $1.51

-23.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.54 $1.54

-65.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$9.93 $9.93

-75.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.83 $0.83

74.70%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.9K $22.9K

-7.91%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$30.2K $30.2K

-10.94%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$28.72 $28.72

116.47%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.72 $17.72

-31.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$28.01 $28.01

-28.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$27.41 $27.41

36.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.61 $14.61

-74.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.74 $6.74

-3.71%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$736 $736

-0.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$9,063 $9,063

62.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$69.8 $69.8

-23.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$49.69 $49.69

-50.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$115 $115

-20.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$107 $107

-32.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$377 $377

27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$274 $274

12.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$825 $825

21.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$498 $498

27.30%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.12

-44.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cumbaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cumbaya

$274 30.8% 11.4% $35

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cumbaya

$191 21.5% 18.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cumbaya

$153 17.2% 41.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cumbaya

$74 8.4% 21.2% $20

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cumbaya

$145 16.3% 87.3% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cumbaya

$11 * 1.2% 82.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cumbaya

$41 4.6% 18.7% $9.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $377 in Cumbaya. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $55 in Cumbaya. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Cumbaya – so Cumbaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇨 Cumbaya

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cumbaya 17,930 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cumbaya

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 Cumbaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Cumbaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,334 in Cumbaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cumbaya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $55 in Cumbaya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $889 in Cumbaya. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cumbaya costs $889 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.