Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $622 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $622 in La Romana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
La Romana $622

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,000 in La Romana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
La Romana $1,000

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,377 in La Romana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
La Romana $1,377

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and La Romana are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, La Romana 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$8.00 DOP 481

-72.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$40.08 DOP 2,408

-52.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.89 DOP 414

-19.45%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.75 DOP 105

-4.57%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.67 DOP 40.43

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.31 DOP 18.88

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.40 DOP 144

-1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.95 DOP 237

-7.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.08 DOP 64.9

80.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.73 DOP 104

-16.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.54 DOP 92.8

-13.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.43 DOP 86.0

59.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.23 DOP 375

164.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.48 DOP 209

-20.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.61 DOP 277

101.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.64 DOP 218

-35.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.39 DOP 83.4

-30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$3.21 DOP 193

-50.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.20 DOP 132

-31.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$3.58 DOP 215

-64.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.82 DOP 169

-60.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.94 DOP 56.4

-24.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.64 DOP 98.7

-70.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.78 DOP 287

-13.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$16.61 DOP 998

5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$3.00 DOP 180

-46.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.34 DOP 200

-16.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.48 DOP 149

-53.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$3.35 DOP 201

-84.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.38 DOP 82.8

5.07%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$14.8K DOP 888.9K

42.33%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$25.4K DOP 1.5M

6.20%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$93.1 DOP 5,596

-33.25%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.04 DOP 603

21.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$37.50 DOP 2,253

-46.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.89 DOP 294

32.72%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$148 DOP 8,909

396.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,431 DOP 326.3K

171.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$26.10 DOP 1,568

104.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$44.38 DOP 2,666

-44.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$60.2 DOP 3,619

51.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$64.3 DOP 3,865

11.85%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for La Romana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

La Romana

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

La Romana

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

La Romana

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

La Romana

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

La Romana

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

La Romana

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

La Romana

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $40 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

567,431

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.08 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.34 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai La Romana 15,670 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
La Romana

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 Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than La Romana, 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 $933 in La Romana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $622 in La Romana. That makes La Romana about 34% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $40 in La Romana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $622 in La Romana to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.