Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Huancayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $488 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
Learn more

Huancayo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $488 in Huancayo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Huancayo $488

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $825 in Huancayo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Huancayo $825

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,162 in Huancayo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Huancayo $1,162

Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Huancayo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Huancayo 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.27 PEN 7.80

0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$34.56 PEN 119

-43.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.86 PEN 23.54

-18.22%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.29 PEN 11.31

-49.54%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.12 PEN 3.83

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.64 PEN 2.20

-51.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.59 PEN 8.91

-6.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.29 PEN 14.73

-13.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.15 PEN 3.93

69.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.05 PEN 3.60

34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.29 PEN 4.43

1.55%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.41 PEN 8.26

-9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$5.14 PEN 17.64

223.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.97 PEN 20.49

-53.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$5.20 PEN 17.87

75.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.41 PEN 4.86

69.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.03 PEN 3.53

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.55 PEN 1.90

196.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.19 PEN 4.10

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.85 PEN 2.93

51.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.89 PEN 3.05

24.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.57 PEN 1.96

26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-40.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.70 PEN 19.57

-24.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$5.09 PEN 17.47

252.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.87 PEN 6.41

-15.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.18 PEN 10.91

-10.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.59 PEN 2.03

45.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$17.38 PEN 59.7

206.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.84 PEN 6.32

-34.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.00 PEN 6.88

-71.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.22 PEN 24.79

-67.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.43 PEN 4.91

0.70%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.7K PEN 74.6K

-4.62%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

4.25%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$34.52 PEN 119

80.56%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$11.76 PEN 40.39

2.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$11.82 PEN 40.59

68.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.30 PEN 25.07

-10.96%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$182 PEN 624

336.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

14.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$53.8 PEN 185

-0.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$35.51 PEN 122

-30.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$85.3 PEN 293

6.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$80.1 PEN 275

-11.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$324 PEN 1,112

40.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.94

-37.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Huancayo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Huancayo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Huancayo

$162 33.2% 31.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Huancayo

$115 23.5% 6% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Huancayo

$58 11.9% 38.4% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Huancayo

$107 21.9% 35.9% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Huancayo

$32 6.5% 48% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Huancayo

$15 * 3% 70.8% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $324 in Huancayo. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $35.00 in Huancayo. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $162 in Huancayo – so Huancayo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

27,552

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Huancayo 19,040 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Huancayo

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 Huancayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Huancayo, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $732 in Huancayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huancayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $182 in Huancayo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Huancayo, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Huancayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Huancayo costs $488 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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