Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jarabacoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Jarabacoa: $695 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Jarabacoa
Learn more

Jarabacoa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jarabacoa

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $695 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jarabacoa $695

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,144 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jarabacoa $1,144

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,593 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jarabacoa $1,593

Chiang Mai costs about 35% more than Jarabacoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Jarabacoa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jarabacoa 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.89 DOP 606

-77.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$48.23 DOP 2,954

-60.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.36 DOP 451

-24.59%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.30 DOP 141

-27.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.05 DOP 64.4

-39.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.57 DOP 35.19

-45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.46 DOP 151

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.10 DOP 190

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.40 DOP 85.5

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.54 DOP 94.0

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.60 DOP 98.2

-16.88%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.33 DOP 143

-2.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.13 DOP 437

130.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.43 DOP 333

-48.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.47 DOP 396

43.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.23 DOP 198

-27.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.79 DOP 48.30

22.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.66 DOP 163

-39.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.85 DOP 114

-18.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.02 DOP 124

-36.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.17 DOP 133

-49.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.98 DOP 59.9

-27.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.98 DOP 60.3

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.12 DOP 314

-19.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.08 DOP 617

73.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.62 DOP 160

-38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.87 DOP 176

-3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.32 DOP 203

-65.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.23 DOP 137

-76.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.77 DOP 353

-58.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.41 DOP 86.4

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$29.3K DOP 1.8M

-28.21%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$33.7K DOP 2.1M

-19.94%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$92.1 DOP 5,642

-32.52%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$31.44 DOP 1,925

-61.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$35.29 DOP 2,161

-42.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.32 DOP 448

-11.34%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$244 DOP 14.9K

201.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,179 DOP 439.7K

105.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$45.63 DOP 2,794

16.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$46.74 DOP 2,862

-47.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$85.1 DOP 5,214

7.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$121 DOP 7,389

-40.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

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 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.56

-58.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jarabacoa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jarabacoa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jarabacoa

$219 31.5% 6.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jarabacoa

$134 19.3% 23.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jarabacoa

$159 22.9% 68.2% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jarabacoa

$154 22.1% 98.2% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jarabacoa

$14 * 2.1% 76.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jarabacoa

$15 * 2.1% 70.9% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $48 in Jarabacoa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $219 in Jarabacoa – so Jarabacoa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇴 Jarabacoa

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

18:59 6:59 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

69,855

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Jarabacoa 15,650 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jarabacoa

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 Jarabacoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 35% more than Jarabacoa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,042 in Jarabacoa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $48 in Jarabacoa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $695 in Jarabacoa to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.