Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,241 in Fajardo, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. The total is higher in Fajardo despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,241 in Fajardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Fajardo $1,241

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,954 in Fajardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Fajardo $1,954

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,667 in Fajardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Fajardo $2,667

Chiang Mai is about 25% cheaper than Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Fajardo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Fajardo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$9.80 $9.80

-77.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$82.1 $82.1

-76.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.44 $9.44

-41.21%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.66 $3.66

-54.37%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.93 $1.93

-66.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.51 $1.51

-79.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.97 $2.97

-20.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.11 $5.11

-28.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.11 $2.11

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.69 $3.69

-60.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.45 $2.45

-45.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.46 $7.46

-69.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.35 $12.35

33.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.45 $9.45

-70.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.26 $13.26

-29.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.09 $5.09

-53.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.58 $2.58

-62.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.75 $4.75

-66.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.70 $4.70

-68.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$3.71 $3.71

-65.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$3.91 $3.91

-71.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$3.40 $3.40

-79.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.61 $1.61

-69.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.33 $11.33

-63.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$15.50 $15.50

13.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.09 $3.09

-47.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.04 $4.04

-31.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.47 $2.47

-53.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.52 $1.52

-65.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$41.58 $41.58

-94.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.24 $1.24

16.94%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$34.6K $34.6K

-39.12%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$28.3K $28.3K

-4.78%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$316 $316

-80.34%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$70.6 $70.6

-82.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$70.0 $70.0

-71.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.47 $10.47

-38.01%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$835 $835

-11.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$12.6K $12.6K

17.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$55.5 $55.5

-3.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$61.8 $61.8

-60.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$107 $107

-14.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$115 $115

-37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,007 $1,007

-52.12%

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 ฿21.4K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Fajardo

$412 33.2% 75.6% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Fajardo

$152 12.3% 40.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Fajardo

$457 36.8% 384% $362

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Fajardo

$189 15.3% 144% $112

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8% 83.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 58.4% $29

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 $1,007 in Fajardo. 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 $82 in Fajardo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $412 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,647

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Fajardo 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fajardo

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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,862 in Fajardo. 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 $1,007 in Fajardo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $82 in Fajardo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Fajardo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,241 in Fajardo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.