Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $999 in Iquique, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Iquique outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $999 in Iquique, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Iquique $999

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,590 in Iquique, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Iquique $1,590

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,180 in Iquique, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Iquique $2,180

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Iquique are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Iquique 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.48 CLP 7,359

-69.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$40.30 CLP 39.7K

-52.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.04 CLP 6,934

-20.60%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.44 CLP 3,384

-50.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.23 CLP 1,210

-47.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.95 CLP 937

-65.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.27 CLP 3,222

-27.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.61 CLP 3,552

8.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.09 CLP 1,077

88.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.13 CLP 1,111

23.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.31 CLP 1,285

-2.29%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.02 CLP 2,972

-25.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$10.12 CLP 9,962

67.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$10.05 CLP 9,896

-72.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.31 CLP 2,273

3.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.15 CLP 2,121

-53.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.51 CLP 1,484

6.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.06 CLP 1,040

43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.73 CLP 722

75.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.64 CLP 628

73.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.00 CLP 981

-28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.35 CLP 1,326

-61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$7.25 CLP 7,139

-40.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.86 CLP 7,734

125.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$0.84 CLP 828

239.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.69 CLP 679

23.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.44 CLP 1,419

0.69%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$88.6 CLP 87.2K

-29.67%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$15.63 CLP 15.4K

-21.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$23.17 CLP 22.8K

-13.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$50.7 CLP 49.9K

-25.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.91 CLP 6,803

-2.89%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$254 CLP 249.8K

214.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$30.11 CLP 29.6K

76.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$23.04 CLP 22.7K

8.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$46.57 CLP 45.8K

96.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$422 CLP 415.4K

9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$382 CLP 375.7K

-20.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$683 CLP 671.9K

34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$781 CLP 769.3K

-29.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,718 CLP 1.7M

11.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,926 CLP 1.9M

-25.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$958 CLP 943.5K

-37.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Iquique: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Iquique

$382 38.2% 25.3% $77

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Iquique

$197 * 19.7% 17.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Iquique

$71 7.1% 35.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Iquique

$127 12.8% 34.7% $33

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Iquique

$155 15.5% 95.5% $75

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Iquique

$2.8 * 0.3% 95.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Iquique

$65 6.5% 25.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $422 in Iquique. 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 Iquique, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $40.00 in Iquique. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in Iquique – so Iquique wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

10:41 10:41 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

188,003

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Iquique 18,870 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Iquique

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 Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iquique costs about 6% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,498 in Iquique. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $40.00 in Iquique. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Iquique – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Iquique at $999. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Iquique it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $999 in Iquique. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iquique makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.