Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and La Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,019 in La Plata, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in La Plata despite lower rent and utilities.

45

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

Cost of Living Index in La Plata
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La Plata Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

La Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in La Plata

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,019 in La Plata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
La Plata $1,019

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,757 in La Plata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
La Plata $1,757

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,495 in La Plata, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
La Plata $2,495

Chiang Mai is about 8% cheaper than La Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and La Plata are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, La Plata 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$15.97 ARS 24.7K

-86.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$50.5 ARS 78.0K

-63.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$12.71 ARS 19.6K

-55.94%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$3.80 ARS 5,867

-56.32%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.59 ARS 2,455

-59.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.87 ARS 1,346

-65.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$3.38 ARS 5,216

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.98 ARS 4,603

23.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.08 ARS 1,661

87.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$2.18 ARS 3,362

-35.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$0.82 ARS 1,266

69.51%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.22 ARS 3,422

6.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$8.87 ARS 13.7K

86.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$5.40 ARS 8,348

-50.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$9.21 ARS 14.2K

-2.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.99 ARS 3,067

20.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.94 ARS 3,000

-46.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$0.71 ARS 1,093

133.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.49 ARS 2,295

4.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$0.55 ARS 849

125.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$0.65 ARS 1,001

67.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$1.02 ARS 1,572

-25.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$1.01 ARS 1,554

-49.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.12 ARS 4,823

32.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$4.78 ARS 7,386

275.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.08 ARS 3,207

-22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.71 ARS 4,187

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.71 ARS 1,097

30.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$4.52 ARS 6,975

1070.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$1.54 ARS 2,381

-23.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.68 ARS 1,046

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$7.60 ARS 11.7K

-76.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.16 ARS 1,790

26.72%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$22.3K ARS 34.5M

-5.87%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$32.4K ARS 50.0M

-18.10%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$70.9 ARS 109.5K

-11.75%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$10.86 ARS 16.8K

6.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$23.69 ARS 36.6K

-14.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$25.49 ARS 39.4K

48.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$10.97 ARS 16.9K

-66.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$5.44 ARS 8,395

19.67%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$138 ARS 212.8K

427.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$4,133 ARS 6.4M

301.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$105 ARS 162.2K

-49.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$21.00 ARS 32.4K

18.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$96.1 ARS 148.4K

-5.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$55.3 ARS 85.4K

30.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$412 ARS 635.8K

16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$294 ARS 453.7K

5.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,158 ARS 1.8M

-8.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$779 ARS 1.2M

-15.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$1,976 ARS 3.1M

22.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$1,177 ARS 1.8M

36.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$707 ARS 1.1M

-15.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-86.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for La Plata: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

La Plata

$294 28.8% 5.2% $16

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

La Plata

$202 19.9% 14.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

La Plata

$125 12.3% 15.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

La Plata

$105 10.4% 11.6% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

La Plata

$244 24% 219% $168

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

La Plata

$12 1.2% 79.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

La Plata

$36 3.6% 28.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $412 in La Plata. 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 19% higher in La Plata. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in La Plata. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $202 in La Plata – so La Plata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇷 La Plata

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

10:42 10:42 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

193,144

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai La Plata 17,120 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
La Plata

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 La Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Plata costs about 9% 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 $1,529 in La Plata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Plata, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $138 in La Plata. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in La Plata – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,019 in La Plata. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,019 in La Plata. 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.

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