Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $872 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
Learn more

Las Terrenas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Las Terrenas

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $872 in Las Terrenas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Las Terrenas $872

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,839 in Las Terrenas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Las Terrenas $1,839

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,805 in Las Terrenas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Las Terrenas $2,805

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Las Terrenas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Las Terrenas 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$8.51 DOP 511

-74.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$41.42 DOP 2,488

-55.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.91 DOP 295

14.05%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$0.98 DOP 59.0

69.39%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.67 DOP 40.51

-2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.40 DOP 24.16

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.44 DOP 146

-4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.04 DOP 243

-9.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.02 DOP 61.4

98.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.08 DOP 64.8

30.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.12 DOP 67.1

24.11%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.23 DOP 73.8

92.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$6.44 DOP 387

156.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.57 DOP 214

-25.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$4.64 DOP 279

94.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.14 DOP 129

12.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.64 DOP 38.27

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.22 DOP 133

-25.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$2.18 DOP 131

-28.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$2.14 DOP 128

-42.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.13 DOP 67.7

-3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.92 DOP 55.4

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$1.02 DOP 61.2

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.68 DOP 281

-11.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$6.91 DOP 415

159.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.31 DOP 139

-29.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.96 DOP 118

43.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$2.53 DOP 152

-53.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$3.37 DOP 202

-94.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.17 DOP 70.5

25.64%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$19.8K DOP 1.2M

6.09%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$23.6K DOP 1.4M

12.19%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$50.0 DOP 3,005

25.02%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$9.97 DOP 599

16.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$19.68 DOP 1,182

3.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.90 DOP 294

32.86%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$100 DOP 6,017

625.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$5,396 DOP 324.1K

207.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$27.31 DOP 1,640

96.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$44.60 DOP 2,679

-44.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$60.9 DOP 3,656

48.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$65.1 DOP 3,910

10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$788 DOP 47.3K

-38.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$385 DOP 23.1K

-19.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,678 DOP 100.8K

-36.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$1,632 DOP 98.0K

-59.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,809 DOP 108.6K

33.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$405 DOP 24.3K

47.04%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Las Terrenas

$385 44.2% 24.3% $75

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Las Terrenas

$170 19.5% 28.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Las Terrenas

$89 10.2% 17.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Las Terrenas

$80 9.1% 15.6% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Las Terrenas

$119 13.7% 55.6% $43

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2% 66.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Las Terrenas

$9.8 * 1.1% 80.7% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $788 in Las Terrenas. 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 47% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Las Terrenas. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $170 in Las Terrenas – so Las Terrenas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,713

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Las Terrenas 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Las Terrenas, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,308 in Las Terrenas. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $788 in Las Terrenas.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $41 in Las Terrenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $872 in Las Terrenas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Las Terrenas costs $872 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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