Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Lima $2,167

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$4.40 PEN 15.10

-48.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$35.17 PEN 121

-45.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-18.87%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-47.24%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.62 PEN 2.11

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-11.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.63 PEN 5.61

25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-45.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-5.19%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-22.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.85 PEN 30.38

91.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-54.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-4.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.05 PEN 7.02

17.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.06 PEN 3.66

-4.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.35 PEN 4.64

19.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.50 PEN 5.15

1.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.88 PEN 3.03

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.92 PEN 3.15

20.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-19.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-42.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-26.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$8.52 PEN 29.26

108.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-13.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-11.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.68 PEN 2.33

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$26.86 PEN 92.2

100.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-69.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-71.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-66.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-15.70%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-8.23%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

3.96%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$73.1 PEN 251

-14.70%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-24.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-27.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$31.90 PEN 110

18.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-80.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-4.82%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$182 PEN 627

336.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

13.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$53.8 PEN 185

-1.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$34.32 PEN 118

-27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$82.8 PEN 284

10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$78.2 PEN 269

-6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$721 PEN 2,476

-35.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$343 PEN 1,179

-11.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-24.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$651 PEN 2,235

-15.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-20.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

5.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$648 PEN 2,226

-8.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.94

-37.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Lima

$343 33.9% 12.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Lima

$226 22.3% 5.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Lima

$112 11.1% 2.4% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 23.6% $22

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 56.9% $45

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 29.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Lima

$46 4.6% 10.4% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $721 in Lima. 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 9% higher in Lima, 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 $35.00 in Lima. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $226 in Lima – so Lima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Lima 19,150 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 8% 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 $1,518 in Lima. 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.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $182 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Lima – 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 Lima at $1,012. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,012 in Lima. 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, Lima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.