Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Piura

For one person, living is cheaper in Piura: $701 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Piura
Learn more

Piura Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Piura

🇵🇪 Peru

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $701 in Piura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Piura $701

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,199 in Piura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Piura $1,199

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,696 in Piura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Piura $1,696

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Piura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Piura are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Piura 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.60 PEN 12.42

-37.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$23.96 PEN 82.6

-20.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.27 PEN 25.05

-23.66%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.30 PEN 11.38

-49.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.05 PEN 3.62

-39.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.76 PEN 2.62

-59.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.35 PEN 8.11

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.92 PEN 10.08

25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.41 PEN 4.87

38.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.55 PEN 8.80

-43.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.58 PEN 5.46

-15.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.80 PEN 9.66

-18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.37 PEN 35.74

58.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$8.31 PEN 28.66

-66.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.39 PEN 35.82

-10.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.41 PEN 4.87

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.33 PEN 4.58

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.48 PEN 5.10

8.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.35 PEN 4.64

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.23 PEN 4.24

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.72 PEN 2.47

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.89 PEN 3.08

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.33 PEN 4.58

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.92 PEN 27.29

-47.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.13 PEN 38.37

57.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.81 PEN 6.24

-11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.82 PEN 9.74

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.66 PEN 2.28

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$20.22 PEN 69.7

167.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.96 PEN 10.20

-60.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.31 PEN 7.95

-77.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.21 PEN 24.86

-66.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.42 PEN 4.91

2.11%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.0K PEN 75.9K

-4.41%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.4K PEN 80.5K

15.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$40.54 PEN 140

53.35%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.57 PEN 29.53

42.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$28.76 PEN 99.1

29.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.33 PEN 8.04

178.54%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$199 PEN 686

269.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,280 PEN 7,861

547.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$42.70 PEN 147

24.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$12.94 PEN 44.60

90.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$58.2 PEN 201

57.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$73.9 PEN 255

-2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$229 PEN 790

110.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$131 PEN 453

135.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$397 PEN 1,367

153.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$400 PEN 1,378

58.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,803 PEN 13.1K

-37.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$538 PEN 1,856

9.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Piura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Piura

$131 18.7% 57.5% $178

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Piura

$250 35.7% 6.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Piura

$84 12.1% 22.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Piura

$49 * 7% 48% $45

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Piura

$115 16.4% 48.3% $38

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Piura

$37 5.3% 39.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Piura

$33 4.8% 33.5% $17

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 $229 in Piura. 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 10% 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Piura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $250 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 Piura

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

158,495

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Piura 18,500 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Piura

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 Piura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Piura, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,052 in Piura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Piura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $199 in Piura. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $701 in Piura, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Piura – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Piura. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.