Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quevedo

For one person, living is cheaper in Quevedo: $864 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $860 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Quevedo
Learn more

Quevedo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Quevedo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $864 in Quevedo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Quevedo $864

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,459 in Quevedo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Quevedo $1,459

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,054 in Quevedo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Quevedo $2,054

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Quevedo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Quevedo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Quevedo 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$5.49 $5.49

-59.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$54.0 $54.0

-64.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.54 $7.54

-26.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.34 $3.34

-50.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.42 $1.42

-54.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.06 $1.06

-70.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.53 $3.53

-33.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$5.94 $5.94

-38.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.10 $1.10

77.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.58 $1.58

-8.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.53 $1.53

-13.07%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.16 $2.16

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.54 $6.54

151.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.37 $5.37

-48.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.53 $7.53

23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.24 $2.24

4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.23 $1.23

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.31 $1.31

22.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.13 $1.13

32.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.21 $1.21

5.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.03 $1.03

6.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.92 $0.92

-22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.03 $1.03

-52.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.87 $5.87

-29.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.44 $8.44

107.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.58 $1.58

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.16 $3.16

-12.03%

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

$1.54 $1.54

-24.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.46 $1.46

-63.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$10.17 $10.17

-76.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.86 $0.86

68.60%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.1K $23.1K

-8.99%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$30.4K $30.4K

-11.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$28.24 $28.24

120.15%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$17.70 $17.70

-31.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$28.48 $28.48

-29.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$29.67 $29.67

25.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.14 $16.14

-76.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.75 $6.75

-3.85%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$753 $753

-2.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$9,114 $9,114

62.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$70.0 $70.0

-23.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$50.6 $50.6

-51.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$116 $116

-21.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$106 $106

-32.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$401 $401

20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$243 $243

26.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$869 $869

15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$505 $505

25.34%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.12

-44.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quevedo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Quevedo

$243 28.2% 21.2% $66

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Quevedo

$193 22.3% 17.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Quevedo

$154 17.8% 41.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Quevedo

$74 8.6% 21.2% $20

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Quevedo

$146 16.9% 88.3% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quevedo

$10 * 1.2% 83.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quevedo

$43 5% 14.2% $7.1

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 $401 in Quevedo. 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 $54 in Quevedo. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $193 in Quevedo – so Quevedo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇨 Quevedo

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

00:36 12:36 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

300,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Quevedo 18,030 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quevedo

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 Quevedo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Quevedo, 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 $1,296 in Quevedo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quevedo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $401 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $54 in Quevedo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $864 in Quevedo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $864 in Quevedo to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.