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

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 6.2% cheaper than Matagalpa without rent, and 0.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 14% more expensive than Matagalpa without rent, and 10.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.98 ฿63.0
$4.99 NIO 184
-60.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.64 ฿593
$25.12 NIO 923
-25.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.90 ฿251
$6.80 NIO 250
16.18%
Cappuccino
$1.99 ฿63.4
$2.39 NIO 87.8
-16.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 ฿26.13
$0.79 NIO 29.00
3.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.36
$0.47 NIO 17.14
-29.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.17 ฿69.1
$1.18 NIO 43.54
83.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 ฿121
$2.02 NIO 74.3
88.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿52.3
$1.15 NIO 42.23
42.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 ฿50.2
$1.54 NIO 56.6
2.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 ฿37.84
$1.56 NIO 57.4
-23.72%
Eggs
$1.90 ฿60.5
$2.26 NIO 83.0
-15.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.99 ฿509
$1.93 NIO 70.8
728.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.13 ฿99.7
$4.30 NIO 158
-27.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.79 ฿343
$6.61 NIO 243
63.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 ฿86.5
$3.86 NIO 142
-29.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 ฿37.34
$0.91 NIO 33.40
28.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.65 ฿52.6
$1.77 NIO 64.9
-6.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.66
$2.29 NIO 84.1
-33.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 ฿44.51
$1.08 NIO 39.68
29.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 ฿38.05
$2.27 NIO 83.4
-47.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.66 ฿21.13
$0.68 NIO 25.07
-2.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿16.74
$1.01 NIO 37.14
-47.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.48 ฿143
$2.73 NIO 100
64.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.25 ฿612
$9.92 NIO 365
94.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 ฿58.6
$1.22 NIO 44.75
50.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 ฿101
$2.16 NIO 79.5
46.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 ฿28.34
$0.45 NIO 16.50
97.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.97 ฿603
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 ฿43.55
$0.90 NIO 33.23
52.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.36 ฿43.09
$0.93 NIO 34.26
46.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.16 ฿260
$6.82 NIO 251
19.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.22
$1.35 NIO 49.61
-8.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K ฿691.2K
$22.9K NIO 842.3K
-5.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K ฿700.1K
$26.7K NIO 982.1K
-17.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.2 ฿2,234
$51.5 NIO 1,894
36.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.08 ฿448
$16.83 NIO 619
-16.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.81 ฿566
$36.23 NIO 1,332
-50.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.70 ฿1,326
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.65 ฿211
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.82 ฿185
$8.05 NIO 296
-27.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$310 ฿9,857
$99.5 NIO 3,657
211.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ฿467.9K
$5,896 NIO 216.7K
149.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.5 ฿1,797
$77.5 NIO 2,850
-27.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿852
$73.1 NIO 2,687
-63.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,646
$134 NIO 4,922
-37.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.1 ฿2,260
$109 NIO 3,999
-34.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$430 ฿13.7K
$158 NIO 5,800
172.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,544
$258 NIO 9,476
-7.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 ฿26.1K
$542 NIO 19.9K
51.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$507 ฿16.1K
$377 NIO 13.8K
34.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,088 ฿66.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,525 ฿48.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Matagalpa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$644 ฿20.5K
$200 NIO 7,353
222.14%
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 10, 2026

Last update for Matagalpa: March 7, 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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