Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index

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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, Costa Rica

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,632

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,532 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,532

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,432 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,432

Chiang Mai is about 43% cheaper than Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$12.18 ₡5,500

-81.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$43.30 ₡19.5K

-56.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.95 ₡4,944

-49.32%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.88 ₡1,752

-56.96%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.42 ₡1,094

-73.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.82 ₡823

-82.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.21 ₡1,447

-26.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$4.10 ₡1,849

-10.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.00 ₡902

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$3.07 ₡1,386

-53.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.44 ₡1,101

-45.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.08 ₡1,390

-25.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.46 ₡2,915

154.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$7.56 ₡3,412

-63.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.18 ₡6,400

-34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.72 ₡1,226

-13.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.11 ₡501

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.30 ₡587

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.71 ₡773

-12.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.66 ₡1,199

-51.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.02 ₡911

-45.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.65 ₡292

9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.93 ₡869

-74.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.22 ₡1,452

28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$15.19 ₡6,859

15.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.89 ₡1,306

-44.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.53 ₡1,594

-21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.35 ₡611

-35.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$43.19 ₡19.5K

25.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.76 ₡793

-34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.60 ₡723

-66.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$8.83 ₡3,986

-72.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.51 ₡680

-3.97%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$34.1K ₡15.4M

-38.17%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$41.6K ₡18.8M

-35.21%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$94.8 ₡42.8K

-34.39%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$35.25 ₡15.9K

-65.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$33.45 ₡15.1K

-39.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$67.7 ₡30.6K

-44.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.57 ₡3,420

-14.27%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$987 ₡445.4K

-25.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$17.4K ₡7.9M

-15.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$65.2 ₡29.4K

-18.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$26.77 ₡12.1K

-7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$99.1 ₡44.7K

-7.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$54.5 ₡24.6K

32.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$890 ₡401.6K

-45.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$703 ₡317.2K

-56.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,029 ₡915.9K

-50.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,387 ₡626.3K

-54.34%

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

$998 ₡450.6K

-40.91%

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$703 43% 127% $394

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$296 18.1% 26.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$110 6.8% 1.7% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$163 10% 73% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.4% 181% $141

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6% 4.9% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$83 5.1% 64.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $890 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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 69% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, 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 $43 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $296 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

04:35 4:35 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 16,730 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon costs about 74% 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 $2,448 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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 $890 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $987 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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