Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $877 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
Learn more

Portoviejo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $877 in Portoviejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Portoviejo $877

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,400 in Portoviejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Portoviejo $1,400

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,924 in Portoviejo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Portoviejo $1,924

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Portoviejo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Portoviejo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$4.06 $4.06

-44.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$51.6 $51.6

-63.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.95 $8.95

-37.99%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.93 $2.93

-43.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.94 $0.94

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.67 $0.67

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.91 $2.91

-18.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$4.16 $4.16

-12.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.17 $1.17

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.02 $2.02

-28.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.45 $1.45

-8.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.15 $2.15

6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.95 $6.95

136.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.04 $5.04

-44.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.41 $9.41

-1.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.52 $1.52

54.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.15 $1.15

-15.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.99 $0.99

61.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.96 $0.96

56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.22 $1.22

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.99 $0.99

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.89 $0.89

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.94 $0.94

-47.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.04 $6.04

-31.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$12.23 $12.23

43.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.50 $1.50

7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.19 $2.19

26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.34 $0.34

155.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.67 $2.67

-56.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.79 $1.79

-70.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$12.17 $12.17

-80.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.88 $0.88

64.77%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.0K $23.0K

-8.38%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$30.8K $30.8K

-12.66%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$33.95 $33.95

83.12%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$14.67 $14.67

-17.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$26.33 $26.33

-23.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$31.57 $31.57

18.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.27 $16.27

-76.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.54 $7.54

-13.93%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$375 $375

96.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,671 $5,671

160.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$65.2 $65.2

-18.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$41.29 $41.29

-40.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$123 $123

-25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$92.4 $92.4

-22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$415 $415

16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$273 $273

13.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$914 $914

10.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$430 $430

47.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,019 $1,019

131.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$789 $789

101.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$331 $331

77.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.05

-44.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portoviejo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Portoviejo

$273 31.2% 11.5% $36

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Portoviejo

$201 22.9% 14.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Portoviejo

$145 16.5% 33.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Portoviejo

$75 8.5% 20.7% $20

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Portoviejo

$124 14.1% 59.6% $46

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5% 78.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Portoviejo

$47 5.3% 7.2% $3.6

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 $415 in Portoviejo. 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 78% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $52 in Portoviejo. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $201 in Portoviejo – so Portoviejo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

00:29 12:29 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

180,641

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Portoviejo 18,040 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Portoviejo

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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Portoviejo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,316 in Portoviejo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portoviejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $415 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $52 in Portoviejo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $877 in Portoviejo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Portoviejo – 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 Portoviejo. 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.