Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
Learn more

Playa del Coco Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Playa del Coco $1,676

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,700 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Playa del Coco $2,700

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,724 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Playa del Coco $3,724

Chiang Mai is about 44% cheaper than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Playa del Coco is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$18.46 ₡8,328

-87.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$58.1 ₡26.2K

-67.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$13.36 ₡6,030

-58.46%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.35 ₡1,965

-61.61%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.65 ₡1,197

-75.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.60 ₡724

-80.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.58 ₡1,613

-34.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.15 ₡2,774

-40.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.30 ₡1,039

-15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.79 ₡1,260

-48.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.44 ₡1,102

-45.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.56 ₡1,605

-35.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.56 ₡4,764

55.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$10.58 ₡4,776

-73.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.10 ₡7,264

-42.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$5.57 ₡2,516

-57.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.77 ₡798

-45.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.84 ₡1,731

-58.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.58 ₡1,614

-58.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.43 ₡1,548

-62.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$3.07 ₡1,386

-64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.20 ₡542

-40.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$2.67 ₡1,206

-81.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.81 ₡2,623

-28.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$16.66 ₡7,517

5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.51 ₡1,131

-35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.65 ₡1,194

4.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.33 ₡600

-34.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.46 ₡1,110

-52.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.55 ₡701

-65.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$9.30 ₡4,198

-73.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.58 ₡714

-8.23%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-38.65%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$41.0K ₡18.5M

-34.24%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$93.6 ₡42.2K

-33.57%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$29.79 ₡13.4K

-59.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$58.3 ₡26.3K

-65.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$71.1 ₡32.1K

-47.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.18 ₡3,240

-9.61%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$756 ₡340.9K

-2.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-13.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$82.1 ₡37.1K

-35.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$55.6 ₡25.1K

-55.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$110 ₡49.6K

-16.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$116 ₡52.5K

-38.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$882 ₡397.8K

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$559 ₡252.1K

-44.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,979 ₡893.1K

-49.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,193 ₡538.1K

-46.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$334 ₡150.8K

375.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$772 ₡348.3K

-23.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 80.8% $250

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 63.9% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 50.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 92.3% $87

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 270% $210

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 74.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 69.9% $35

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 $882 in Playa del Coco. 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 31% higher in Playa del Coco, 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 $58 in Playa del Coco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $384 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

15:36 3:36 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Playa del Coco 16,710 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Coco costs about 79% 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 $2,514 in Playa del Coco. 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 $882 in Playa del Coco.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $58 in Playa del Coco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Playa del Coco, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,676 in Playa del Coco. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Coco makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.