Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $660 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
Learn more

Pisco Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $660 in Pisco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Pisco $660

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,023 in Pisco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Pisco $1,023

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,386 in Pisco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Pisco $1,386

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pisco are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Pisco 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$4.25 PEN 14.59

-46.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$35.07 PEN 120

-44.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.09 PEN 24.37

-20.87%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.19 PEN 10.95

-47.96%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.07 PEN 3.69

-34.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.65 PEN 2.23

-52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.63 PEN 9.02

-8.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.43 PEN 15.21

-16.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.65 PEN 5.66

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.32 PEN 7.96

-39.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.25 PEN 4.30

4.80%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.30 PEN 4.45

67.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$6.55 PEN 22.50

154.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.85 PEN 16.66

-43.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$6.35 PEN 21.81

43.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.34 PEN 4.61

78.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.00 PEN 3.42

3.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.42 PEN 4.86

14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.56 PEN 1.91

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.45 PEN 1.55

186.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.90 PEN 3.10

23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.90 PEN 3.09

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.86 PEN 2.95

-38.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.74 PEN 19.71

-24.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$8.57 PEN 29.43

109.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.95 PEN 6.70

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.42 PEN 8.31

17.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-3.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$35.26 PEN 121

51.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.90 PEN 13.40

-68.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.05 PEN 7.04

-72.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.15 PEN 24.56

-67.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.67 PEN 5.72

-13.77%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.7K PEN 74.7K

-4.68%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$26.1K PEN 89.5K

2.83%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$42.69 PEN 147

46.01%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$16.08 PEN 55.2

-24.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$11.50 PEN 39.51

73.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$20.40 PEN 70.1

81.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$8.49 PEN 29.15

-55.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.29 PEN 25.05

-10.84%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$178 PEN 611

345.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.9K PEN 44.2K

15.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$52.8 PEN 181

1.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$13.11 PEN 45.03

87.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$46.22 PEN 159

96.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$34.60 PEN 119

105.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$161 PEN 553

182.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$130 PEN 448

128.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$147 PEN 504

277.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,788 PEN 6,141

7.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,352 PEN 4,642

6.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$557 PEN 1,911

6.16%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Pisco: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Pisco

$130 19.8% 56.2% $167

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Pisco

$183 27.7% 22.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Pisco

$66 10% 38.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Pisco

$70 10.7% 25.5% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Pisco

$122 18.6% 55.8% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pisco

$53 8% 12.8% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 30.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $161 in Pisco. 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 6% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $35.00 in Pisco. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $183 in Pisco – so Pisco wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

10:36 10:36 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,917

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Pisco 19,250 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Pisco, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $990 in Pisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pisco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $178 in Pisco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $660, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Pisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pisco costs $660 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Pisco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.