Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Managua Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Managua

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 18.7% cheaper than Managua without rent, and 8.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 22.2% cheaper than Managua without rent, and 14.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.2
$4.86 NIO 179
-58.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿588
$35.04 NIO 1,288
-46.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿237
$7.05 NIO 259
6.10%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.2
$2.44 NIO 89.8
-18.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.81
$0.83 NIO 30.65
2.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.13
$0.74 NIO 27.06
-52.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.0
$1.29 NIO 47.25
71.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿119
$1.96 NIO 72.2
91.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.4
$1.27 NIO 46.55
35.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.7
$2.47 NIO 91.0
-34.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.66
$1.80 NIO 66.1
-35.56%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.6
$2.26 NIO 83.3
-12.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿504
$11.07 NIO 407
43.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿100
$6.71 NIO 247
-52.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿345
$7.92 NIO 291
37.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.7
$3.88 NIO 143
-31.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.70
$0.91 NIO 33.54
34.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.7
$1.77 NIO 65.1
-3.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.3
$2.29 NIO 84.4
-30.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿41.90
$4.01 NIO 147
-67.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿36.99
$2.24 NIO 82.3
-47.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.46
$1.06 NIO 39.02
-35.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.64
$1.00 NIO 36.75
-44.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿143
$2.69 NIO 98.9
67.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿604
$14.70 NIO 540
29.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.0
$1.44 NIO 53.0
22.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿101
$2.17 NIO 79.7
46.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.47
$0.15 NIO 5.61
540.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿598
$6.17 NIO 227
206.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿42.98
$1.51 NIO 55.6
-9.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.80
$0.58 NIO 21.27
132.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿254
$6.65 NIO 245
20.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.34
$1.36 NIO 49.89
-8.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿669.8K
$23.0K NIO 846.1K
-8.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿688.5K
$26.2K NIO 962.0K
-16.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,255
$98.6 NIO 3,626
-27.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿446
$17.02 NIO 626
-17.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿553
$37.90 NIO 1,394
-53.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,332
$36.08 NIO 1,327
16.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿218
$15.26 NIO 561
-54.91%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿188
$8.14 NIO 299
-27.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,728
$125 NIO 4,612
145.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿468.2K
$6,015 NIO 221.2K
145.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,762
$77.0 NIO 2,833
-27.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿848
$71.3 NIO 2,622
-62.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,634
$135 NIO 4,965
-38.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,219
$107 NIO 3,930
-34.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.5K
$258 NIO 9,493
65.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,504
$189 NIO 6,965
25.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.4K
$445 NIO 16.4K
80.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿15.9K
$457 NIO 16.8K
10.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.2K
$1,220 NIO 44.8K
68.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.5K
$645 NIO 23.7K
137.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Managua
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.7K
$356 NIO 13.1K
83.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
10.25
-51.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Managua: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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