Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $690 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$690

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $690 in Cusco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cusco $690

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,105 in Cusco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cusco $1,105

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,519 in Cusco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cusco $1,519

Chiang Mai costs about 36% more than Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Cusco are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.01 PEN 6.97

11.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$20.14 PEN 69.7

-5.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.38 PEN 22.08

-13.01%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.17 PEN 7.51

-23.04%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.74 PEN 2.55

-13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 PEN 1.13

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.79 PEN 6.20

31.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.29 PEN 14.86

-14.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.29 PEN 4.48

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.33 PEN 8.06

-38.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.28 PEN 4.42

3.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.51 PEN 12.15

-35.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.91 PEN 16.99

235.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.39 PEN 15.18

-36.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.41 PEN 25.66

25.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.67 PEN 9.26

-11.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.77 PEN 2.67

25.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.47 PEN 5.08

8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.91 PEN 3.13

64.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.00 PEN 3.45

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.06 PEN 3.67

3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.53 PEN 1.84

33.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.74 PEN 2.56

-33.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.68 PEN 19.65

208.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.86 PEN 6.46

-13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.17 PEN 14.44

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.28 PEN 0.96

210.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.76 PEN 6.08

-34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.92 PEN 6.64

-72.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.88 PEN 9.96

-15.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.56 PEN 5.40

-7.05%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$28.5K PEN 98.5K

-5.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$29.26 PEN 101

112.47%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.44 PEN 50.0

-15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$43.40 PEN 150

-53.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$29.55 PEN 102

26.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.43 PEN 15.34

46.50%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$37.57 PEN 130

42.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$33.55 PEN 116

-26.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$53.9 PEN 187

69.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$73.3 PEN 254

-1.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$218 PEN 756

120.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$192 PEN 666

60.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$535 PEN 1,852

88.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$426 PEN 1,474

48.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,237 PEN 11.2K

-26.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,882 PEN 6,516

-15.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$430 PEN 1,489

37.16%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cusco

$192 27.9% 37.7% $116

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cusco

$188 27.2% 19.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 17.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cusco

$87 12.6% 7.8% $7.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cusco

$83 12% 7% $5.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cusco

$12 * 1.8% 79.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cusco

$38 5.6% 23.6% $12

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 $218 in Cusco. 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 37% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in Cusco. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $188 in Cusco – so Cusco wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

428,450

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.46 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cusco 18,890 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 36% more than Cusco, 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 $1,036 in Cusco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cusco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $218 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $690 in Cusco. That makes Cusco about 26% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cusco costs $690 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cusco. 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.