Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Diego Martin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,349 in Diego Martin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Diego Martin
Learn more

Diego Martin Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Diego Martin

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Diego Martin

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,349 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Diego Martin $1,349

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,299 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Diego Martin $2,299

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,248 in Diego Martin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Diego Martin $3,248

Chiang Mai is about 31% cheaper than Diego Martin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.80 TTD 79.2

-81.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$88.1 TTD 591

-78.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.97 TTD 60.2

-38.13%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.79 TTD 25.44

-55.94%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.23 TTD 8.23

-47.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.86 TTD 5.80

-63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.27 TTD 15.22

3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.70 TTD 24.79

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.40 TTD 16.08

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.22 TTD 14.93

-35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.76 TTD 18.52

-51.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.47 TTD 30.00

-48.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.51 TTD 43.65

152.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.23 TTD 68.7

-72.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.15 TTD 61.4

1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.41 TTD 36.30

-56.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.53 TTD 16.98

-61.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.66 TTD 24.55

-56.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.39 TTD 29.43

-65.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.71 TTD 4.73

80.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.77 TTD 5.14

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.50 TTD 10.08

-52.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.15 TTD 7.72

-57.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.57 TTD 37.36

-25.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$17.33 TTD 116

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.56 TTD 10.44

3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.96 TTD 19.87

-6.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.84 TTD 5.62

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$74.3 TTD 499

-27.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.06 TTD 7.08

9.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.92 TTD 6.19

-42.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$14.73 TTD 98.8

-83.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.15 TTD 7.73

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$14.8K TTD 99.5K

42.03%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$41.0K TTD 274.8K

-34.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$44.24 TTD 297

40.53%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$42.02 TTD 282

-71.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$45.48 TTD 305

-55.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$44.12 TTD 296

-15.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.65 TTD 58.0

-24.97%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$394 TTD 2,644

86.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$10.8K TTD 72.7K

36.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$55.5 TTD 372

-3.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$36.13 TTD 242

-31.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$88.2 TTD 592

3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$87.6 TTD 588

-17.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$672 TTD 4,510

-28.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$435 TTD 2,917

-28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,420 TTD 9,528

-29.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$939 TTD 6,302

-32.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,790 TTD 12.0K

-67.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Diego Martin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Diego Martin

$435 32.2% 40.7% $126

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Diego Martin

$324 24% 38.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Diego Martin

$120 8.9% 10.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Diego Martin

$132 9.8% 39.5% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Diego Martin

$194 14.4% 150% $116

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Diego Martin

$83 6.2% 35.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Diego Martin

$61 4.6% 22.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $672 in Diego Martin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Diego Martin are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $88 in Diego Martin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $324 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇹 Diego Martin

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

21:10 9:10 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

25,370

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Diego Martin 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Diego Martin

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 Diego Martin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Diego Martin costs about 44% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,024 in Diego Martin. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $672 in Diego Martin.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $394 in Diego Martin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Diego Martin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,349 in Diego Martin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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