Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Puerto de Tierra

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,317 in Puerto de Tierra, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. The total is higher in Puerto de Tierra despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Puerto de Tierra
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Puerto de Tierra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Puerto de Tierra

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Puerto de Tierra

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 Puerto de Tierra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,317 in Puerto de Tierra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Puerto de Tierra $1,317

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,076 in Puerto de Tierra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Puerto de Tierra $2,076

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,835 in Puerto de Tierra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Puerto de Tierra $2,835

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Puerto de Tierra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Puerto de Tierra are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Puerto de Tierra 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$19.43 $19.43

-88.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$82.9 $82.9

-77.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.01 $9.01

-38.40%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.52 $3.52

-52.56%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.82 $1.82

-64.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.52 $1.52

-79.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.98 $2.98

-20.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$4.92 $4.92

-25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.86 $1.86

4.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$3.55 $3.55

-59.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.44 $2.44

-45.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$7.32 $7.32

-68.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.72 $12.72

29.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$9.54 $9.54

-70.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.27 $13.27

-29.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$5.00 $5.00

-53.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.63 $2.63

-63.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$4.99 $4.99

-67.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.74 $4.74

-68.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$3.69 $3.69

-65.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$3.94 $3.94

-72.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$3.38 $3.38

-78.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.60 $1.60

-69.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.81 $11.81

-64.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$15.69 $15.69

11.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$3.11 $3.11

-48.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.90 $3.90

-28.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.46 $2.46

-52.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.48 $1.48

-64.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$41.87 $41.87

-94.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.25 $1.25

16.00%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$35.1K $35.1K

-40.02%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$28.4K $28.4K

-5.08%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$323 $323

-80.76%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$67.9 $67.9

-82.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$69.6 $69.6

-71.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.56 $10.56

-38.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$809 $809

-8.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$12.4K $12.4K

19.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$55.9 $55.9

-4.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$61.3 $61.3

-59.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$111 $111

-17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$113 $113

-36.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

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

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puerto de Tierra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Puerto de Tierra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Puerto de Tierra

$410 31.1% 74.8% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Puerto de Tierra

$153 11.7% 41.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Puerto de Tierra

$461 35% 388% $366

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Puerto de Tierra

$263 19.9% 239% $185

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Puerto de Tierra

$9.9 * 0.8% 83.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Puerto de Tierra

$21 * 1.6% 58% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $83 in Puerto de Tierra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $410 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇷 Puerto de Tierra

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

03:48 3:48 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Puerto de Tierra 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Puerto de Tierra

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 Puerto de Tierra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto de Tierra costs about 41% 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 $1,976 in Puerto de Tierra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $83 in Puerto de Tierra. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Puerto de Tierra, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,317 in Puerto de Tierra. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,317 in Puerto de Tierra. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.