Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,138 in Quetzaltenango, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,138 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Quetzaltenango $1,138

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,443 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Quetzaltenango $1,443

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,747 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Quetzaltenango $1,747

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Quetzaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Quetzaltenango 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.77 Q 51.7

-66.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$50.9 Q 389

-62.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.68 Q 58.7

-27.73%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.36 Q 25.69

-50.30%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.10 Q 8.40

-41.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.97 Q 7.44

-68.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.33 Q 25.45

-29.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.62 Q 35.27

-20.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.10 Q 16.01

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.57 Q 19.64

-43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.05 Q 15.69

-35.12%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.36 Q 18.05

-3.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.37 Q 48.69

158.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$7.92 Q 60.5

-64.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.09 Q 100

-28.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.96 Q 22.58

-20.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.72 Q 13.14

-43.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.92 Q 22.34

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.60 Q 12.20

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.54 Q 11.73

-16.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.20 Q 16.79

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.74 Q 5.65

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.16 Q 8.90

-57.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.35 Q 25.61

23.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.04 Q 61.5

117.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.78 Q 13.57

-9.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.60 Q 19.84

6.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.12 Q 39.12

-77.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.72 Q 13.16

-69.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$10.34 Q 79.0

-76.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.33 Q 10.14

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$27.6K Q 210.6K

-23.60%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$25.8K Q 197.5K

4.24%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$72.2 Q 551

-13.84%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.97 Q 99.1

-6.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$46.36 Q 354

-56.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$33.27 Q 254

12.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.34 Q 48.46

2.37%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$342 Q 2,613

115.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$6,808 Q 52.0K

116.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$48.78 Q 373

9.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$47.81 Q 365

-48.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$110 Q 839

-16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$112 Q 853

-35.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$399 Q 3,052

20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$389 Q 2,971

-20.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

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

11.62

-52.07%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Quetzaltenango

$389 34.2% 25.9% $80

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Quetzaltenango

$263 23.1% 12.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Quetzaltenango

$143 12.6% 31.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Quetzaltenango

$131 11.6% 39.2% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Quetzaltenango

$152 13.3% 95.5% $74

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 77.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 8.6% $4.3

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 $399 in Quetzaltenango. 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 $51 in Quetzaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $263 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

09:14 9:14 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

500,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.53 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Quetzaltenango 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetzaltenango costs about 22% 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 $1,707 in Quetzaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetzaltenango, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $399 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $51 in Quetzaltenango. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Quetzaltenango, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,138 in Quetzaltenango. 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 $1,138 in Quetzaltenango. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.