Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Grecia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,506 in Grecia, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Grecia
Learn more

Grecia Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Grecia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,506 in Grecia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Grecia $1,506

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,101 in Grecia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Grecia $2,101

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,696 in Grecia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Grecia $2,696

Chiang Mai is about 38% cheaper than Grecia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Grecia is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$10.27 ₡4,635

-78.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$53.5 ₡24.2K

-64.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.68 ₡5,273

-52.48%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.22 ₡1,451

-48.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.80 ₡814

-64.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.86 ₡842

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.62 ₡1,183

-9.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.90 ₡1,310

26.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.03 ₡918

-3.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.13 ₡509

27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.49 ₡1,122

-46.59%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.55 ₡1,602

-35.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.50 ₡3,384

119.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.51 ₡2,939

-57.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.26 ₡6,437

-34.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.48 ₡1,122

-5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.59 ₡718

-38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.35 ₡611

18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.72 ₡775

-12.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.78 ₡803

-28.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.57 ₡708

-29.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.96 ₡432

-26.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$2.22 ₡1,002

-77.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.03 ₡2,724

-31.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$12.47 ₡5,631

40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.12 ₡956

-24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.56 ₡703

78.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.84 ₡830

-52.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.02 ₡913

-42.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.57 ₡707

-66.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$8.48 ₡3,828

-71.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.59 ₡716

-8.81%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-38.71%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-34.71%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$86.2 ₡38.9K

-27.89%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$26.86 ₡12.1K

-54.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-65.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$50.2 ₡22.7K

-25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.97 ₡5,402

-68.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.56 ₡3,415

-14.15%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$985 ₡444.6K

-25.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$17.5K ₡7.9M

-15.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$70.3 ₡31.7K

-24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-55.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$128 ₡57.7K

-28.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$134 ₡60.6K

-46.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$442 ₡199.3K

9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$621 ₡280.3K

-50.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$772 ₡348.5K

30.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$678 ₡306.2K

-6.61%

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

$660 ₡297.8K

-10.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Grecia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Grecia

$621 41.2% 101% $312

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Grecia

$267 17.7% 14% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Grecia

$174 11.6% 60.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Grecia

$172 11.4% 82.2% $78

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Grecia

$189 12.6% 144% $112

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Grecia

$17 * 1.1% 72% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Grecia

$65 4.3% 29.9% $15

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 $442 in Grecia. 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 12% higher in Grecia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $54 in Grecia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $267 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇷 Grecia

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

23:27 11:27 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

16,700

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Grecia 16,790 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Grecia

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 Grecia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grecia costs about 61% 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 $2,259 in Grecia. 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 $442 in Grecia. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $54 in Grecia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Grecia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,506 in Grecia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,506 in Grecia. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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