Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Encarnacion

For one person, living is cheaper in Encarnacion: $830 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
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Encarnacion Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $830 in Encarnacion, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Encarnacion $830

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,285 in Encarnacion, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Encarnacion $1,285

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,739 in Encarnacion, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Encarnacion $1,739

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Encarnacion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Encarnacion are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Encarnacion 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.42 ₲26.4K

-49.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$34.62 ₲206.5K

-45.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.09 ₲42.3K

-21.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.59 ₲15.4K

-35.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.49 ₲8,876

-57.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.54 ₲3,240

-42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.96 ₲5,746

145.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.11 ₲12.6K

73.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.10 ₲6,540

77.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.92 ₲5,511

56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.75 ₲10.4K

-24.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.56 ₲9,315

46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.17 ₲30.8K

218.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.28 ₲19.6K

-15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.62 ₲33.5K

65.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.15 ₲12.8K

9.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.85 ₲5,053

14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.86 ₲5,123

86.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.68 ₲9,992

-10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.89 ₲5,321

43.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.88 ₲5,224

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.56 ₲3,325

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.52 ₲3,117

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.46 ₲8,722

183.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.62 ₲33.5K

211.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.85 ₲5,072

89.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.54 ₲9,193

80.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.84 ₲5,028

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$35.00 ₲208.8K

54.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.29 ₲7,680

-10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.72 ₲4,292

-26.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.74 ₲40.2K

-64.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.19 ₲7,105

21.85%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$13.8K ₲82.6M

52.10%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$25.8K ₲154.2M

4.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$43.84 ₲261.5K

41.81%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$13.41 ₲80.0K

-9.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.79 ₲112.1K

7.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$30.45 ₲181.6K

22.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.14 ₲78.4K

-71.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.08 ₲36.2K

6.74%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$201 ₲1.2M

265.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,299 ₲19.7M

347.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$56.7 ₲338.3K

-5.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.01 ₲167.1K

-12.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$69.1 ₲412.2K

32.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$70.2 ₲418.8K

2.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$508 ₲3.0M

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$321 ₲1.9M

-3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$680 ₲4.1M

47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$535 ₲3.2M

18.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,583 ₲9.4M

49.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,409 ₲8.4M

12.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$367 ₲2.2M

60.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.5

-41.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Encarnacion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Encarnacion

$321 38.7% 4% $12

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Encarnacion

$141 17% 39.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Encarnacion

$101 12.1% 7.2% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Encarnacion

$76 9.2% 19.5% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Encarnacion

$105 12.6% 35.2% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Encarnacion

$43 5.2% 29.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Encarnacion

$43 5.1% 15.3% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $508 in Encarnacion. 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 61% 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 $35 in Encarnacion. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $141 in Encarnacion – so Encarnacion wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

02:45 2:45 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

127,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5,965 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.68 USD). 1 EUR = 6,660 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Encarnacion 17,280 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Encarnacion

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 Encarnacion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Encarnacion, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,246 in Encarnacion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $508 in Encarnacion. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $201 in Encarnacion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $830 in Encarnacion, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $830 in Encarnacion 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.

If budget matters most, go with Encarnacion. 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.