Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Miraflores

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,108 in Miraflores, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Miraflores outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Miraflores
Learn more

Miraflores Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Miraflores

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,108 in Miraflores, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Miraflores $1,108

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,232 in Miraflores, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Miraflores $1,232

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,356 in Miraflores, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Miraflores $1,356

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper than Miraflores, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Miraflores are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Miraflores 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$4.45 PEN 15.34

-49.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$34.72 PEN 120

-45.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.34 PEN 18.43

3.93%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.20 PEN 11.04

-47.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.07 PEN 3.69

-40.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.62 PEN 2.13

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.68 PEN 9.27

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$4.44 PEN 15.33

-17.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.33 PEN 4.60

46.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.13 PEN 3.91

27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.34 PEN 4.64

-0.75%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.99 PEN 10.31

-23.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.21 PEN 31.80

78.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.89 PEN 20.34

-52.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.59 PEN 33.10

-2.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.05 PEN 7.07

14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.03 PEN 3.54

-5.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.42 PEN 4.89

12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.15 PEN 3.96

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.96 PEN 3.32

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.84 PEN 2.89

30.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.90 PEN 3.09

-21.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.59 PEN 2.04

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.67 PEN 19.57

-26.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$9.66 PEN 33.33

81.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.71 PEN 5.89

-5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.86 PEN 9.86

-2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.28 PEN 0.95

210.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$3.50 PEN 12.09

-66.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.06 PEN 7.10

-74.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.67 PEN 26.48

-68.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.28 PEN 4.42

13.28%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$22.0K PEN 76.0K

-4.34%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$28.9K PEN 99.6K

-6.62%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$57.4 PEN 198

8.31%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.87 PEN 30.60

37.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$26.55 PEN 91.6

-24.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$34.52 PEN 119

8.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.42 PEN 25.59

-12.53%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$312 PEN 1,076

136.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$12.7K PEN 43.8K

16.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$52.6 PEN 182

1.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$34.98 PEN 121

-29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$82.8 PEN 286

10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$79.8 PEN 275

-9.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$686 PEN 2,368

-29.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$515 PEN 1,778

-40.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,571 PEN 5,424

-35.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,511 PEN 8,665

-5.88%

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

8.78

-36.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Miraflores: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Miraflores

$515 46.5% 66.8% $206

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Miraflores

$204 18.5% 12.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Miraflores

$113 10.2% 3.6% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Miraflores

$93 8.4% 1.7% $1.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Miraflores

$119 10.7% 53.4% $41

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Miraflores

$15 * 1.3% 75.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Miraflores

$49 4.5% 1.8% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $686 in Miraflores. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Miraflores. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $204 in Miraflores – so Miraflores wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Miraflores

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

08:21 8:21 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

99,337

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Miraflores 19,160 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Miraflores

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 Miraflores: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miraflores costs about 18% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,663 in Miraflores. 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 $482 there versus $686 in Miraflores.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in Miraflores. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Miraflores – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,108 in Miraflores. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,108 in Miraflores. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.