Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Higuey

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Higuey: $935 and $926 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
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Higuey Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $926 in Higuey, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Higuey $926

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,521 in Higuey, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Higuey $1,521

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,116 in Higuey, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Higuey $2,116

Chiang Mai and Higuey have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$9.95 DOP 598

-78.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$52.3 DOP 3,144

-64.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.43 DOP 446

-24.63%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.12 DOP 127

-21.70%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$1.07 DOP 64.2

-39.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.49 DOP 29.24

-38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.51 DOP 151

-7.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.04 DOP 183

20.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.20 DOP 72.3

68.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.54 DOP 92.7

-8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.38 DOP 82.8

0.72%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.00 DOP 120

18.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$7.36 DOP 442

124.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.26 DOP 316

-49.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.78 DOP 407

33.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.92 DOP 175

-17.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.76 DOP 45.92

36.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.46 DOP 87.8

13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.29 DOP 77.2

20.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.14 DOP 68.2

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.18 DOP 70.6

-7.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.56 DOP 33.50

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.52 DOP 31.14

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.22 DOP 314

-21.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$10.19 DOP 612

75.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.43 DOP 146

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.88 DOP 173

-2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.84 DOP 50.5

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$48.70 DOP 2,925

8.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$3.39 DOP 203

-65.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$2.19 DOP 131

-92.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.70 DOP 343

-68.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.47 DOP 88.2

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

-16.10%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$31.2K DOP 1.9M

-14.94%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$93.0 DOP 5,586

-32.74%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$16.84 DOP 1,011

-31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$33.54 DOP 2,015

-39.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$24.52 DOP 1,473

54.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$66.9 DOP 4,020

-94.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.29 DOP 438

-10.70%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$97.5 DOP 5,857

645.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$2,149 DOP 129.1K

671.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$44.91 DOP 2,697

19.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$45.51 DOP 2,733

-45.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$85.8 DOP 5,150

5.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$79.2 DOP 4,756

-9.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$300 DOP 18.0K

60.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$217 DOP 13.0K

43.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$570 DOP 34.2K

85.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$415 DOP 24.9K

58.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,862 DOP 111.8K

29.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,225 DOP 73.6K

31.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$444 DOP 26.7K

33.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Higuey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Higuey

$217 23.4% 30.1% $93

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Higuey

$194 20.9% 18.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Higuey

$115 12.4% 6.1% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Higuey

$143 15.5% 51.8% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Higuey

$152 16.4% 98.8% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Higuey

$66 7.2% 13.2% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Higuey

$39 4.2% 23.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $300 in Higuey. 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 34% 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 $52 in Higuey. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $194 in Higuey – so Higuey wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇴 Higuey

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

20:02 8:02 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

123,787

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Higuey 15,640 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Higuey

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 Higuey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,390 in Higuey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Higuey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $300 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $52 in Higuey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Higuey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

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 Higuey. 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.