Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quellón

For one person, living is cheaper in Quellón: $556 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Quellón

🇨🇱 Chile

$556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $556 in Quellón, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Quellón $556

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $936 in Quellón, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Quellón $936

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,316 in Quellón, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Quellón $1,316

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than Quellón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Quellón are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Quellón 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$50.3 CLP 49.6K

-62.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.54 CLP 2,513

-34.25%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.23 CLP 1,218

-47.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.82 CLP 814

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.07 CLP 3,030

-23.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.11 CLP 3,076

17.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.20 CLP 1,182

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.04 CLP 1,025

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.98 CLP 1,955

-32.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.75 CLP 2,717

-17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$5.97 CLP 5,894

175.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.80 CLP 1,774

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.19 CLP 2,159

-55.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$3.49 CLP 3,451

-54.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.77 CLP 1,750

-15.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.03 CLP 1,016

24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.07 CLP 2,046

-46.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.99 CLP 975

-28.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.99 CLP 1,968

-75.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$9.15 CLP 9,038

91.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.83 CLP 2,791

-43.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.78 CLP 1,756

56.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.47 CLP 464

85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.99 CLP 2,950

-61.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.35 CLP 1,328

7.41%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

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

$12.17 ฿410

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$30.00 CLP 29.6K

-32.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$50.7 CLP 50.1K

-26.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$25.72 CLP 25.4K

107.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$50.7 CLP 50.1K

80.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$256 CLP 252.4K

88.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$200 CLP 197.9K

54.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$409 CLP 403.9K

145.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$356 CLP 351.6K

77.86%

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

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quellón: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Quellón

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Quellón

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Quellón

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Quellón

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Quellón

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quellón

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quellón

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $256 in Quellón. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in Quellón. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $175 in Quellón – so Quellón wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇱 Quellón

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

04:33 4:33 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,552

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.13 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 987 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,102 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Quellón 17,220 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quellón

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 Quellón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than Quellón, 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 $834 in Quellón. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quellón, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $556 in Quellón. That makes Quellón about 41% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Quellón, where all-in costs run around $556, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Quellón it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $556 in Quellón to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.