Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and El Viejo

For one person, living is cheaper in El Viejo: $818 a month against $936 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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in El Viejo
Learn more

El Viejo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

El Viejo

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in El Viejo

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $818 in El Viejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
El Viejo $818

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,280 in El Viejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
El Viejo $1,280

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,741 in El Viejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
El Viejo $1,741

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than El Viejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and El Viejo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, El Viejo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$10.08 NIO 369

-77.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$35.12 NIO 1,286

-45.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.57 NIO 277

-26.68%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.58 NIO 94.3

-35.27%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.91 NIO 33.29

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.69 NIO 25.33

-55.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.48 NIO 54.1

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.26 NIO 82.9

61.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.26 NIO 46.10

54.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.33 NIO 85.5

-38.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.87 NIO 68.4

-28.88%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.39 NIO 87.6

-4.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$11.51 NIO 422

42.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.35 NIO 233

-56.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.56 NIO 277

23.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$4.11 NIO 150

-42.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.62 NIO 22.84

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.75 NIO 64.2

-8.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.50 NIO 91.5

-40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$3.97 NIO 145

-67.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.17 NIO 79.6

-49.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.08 NIO 39.61

-34.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.02 NIO 37.18

-51.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.81 NIO 103

47.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$14.95 NIO 548

17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.41 NIO 51.6

14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.23 NIO 81.8

24.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.65 NIO 60.5

-29.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.60 NIO 58.6

-66.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$6.74 NIO 247

-64.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.36 NIO 49.65

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.4K NIO 856.6K

-9.96%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$26.8K NIO 981.2K

0.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$151 NIO 5,540

-58.90%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$19.54 NIO 716

-37.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$31.99 NIO 1,172

-37.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.93 NIO 327

-27.32%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$234 NIO 8,571

214.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,960 NIO 218.3K

147.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$59.0 NIO 2,162

-9.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$65.7 NIO 2,407

-62.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$122 NIO 4,467

-24.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$142 NIO 5,212

-49.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.92

-53.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for El Viejo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

El Viejo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

El Viejo

$260 31.8% 10.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

El Viejo

$175 21.4% 61.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

El Viejo

$203 24.8% 115% $108

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

El Viejo

$153 18.7% 96.6% $75

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

El Viejo

$9.7 * 1.2% 84.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

El Viejo

$18 * 2.2% 64.5% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in El Viejo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $260 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇮 El Viejo

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

19:29 7:29 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

33,607

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai El Viejo 16,450 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
El Viejo

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 El Viejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than El Viejo, 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 $1,227 in El Viejo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in El Viejo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $818 in El Viejo to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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