Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quilmes

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Quilmes: $938 and $965 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $965 in Quilmes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Quilmes $965

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,611 in Quilmes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Quilmes $1,611

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,257 in Quilmes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Quilmes $2,257

Chiang Mai is about 3% cheaper than Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Quilmes are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Quilmes 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.63 ARS 8,548

-59.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$34.37 ARS 52.2K

-44.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$8.93 ARS 13.5K

-37.40%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.95 ARS 4,476

-41.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.69 ARS 2,565

-62.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.72 ARS 2,608

-80.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$4.10 ARS 6,222

-42.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.19 ARS 3,329

78.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.98 ARS 1,488

109.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.56 ARS 2,373

-10.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.63 ARS 2,478

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.25 ARS 3,408

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

27.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.86 ARS 8,899

-53.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.18 ARS 15.4K

-8.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.93 ARS 2,928

24.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.58 ARS 2,398

-36.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.01 ARS 1,531

59.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.08 ARS 4,673

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.99 ARS 1,499

29.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.65 ARS 986

70.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.73 ARS 1,105

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.69 ARS 1,041

-24.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$5.15 ARS 7,815

-15.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$4.16 ARS 6,319

326.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.24 ARS 1,877

31.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.87 ARS 2,833

52.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.98 ARS 1,494

-13.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.77 ARS 4,196

-57.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.97 ARS 1,473

-41.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.09 ARS 1,654

33.03%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$50.1K ARS 76.1M

-59.15%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$39.2K ARS 59.4M

-32.29%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$59.9 ARS 90.9K

4.02%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$14.26 ARS 21.6K

-13.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$22.15 ARS 33.6K

-9.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$27.18 ARS 41.2K

39.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.98 ARS 15.1K

-32.77%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$315 ARS 477.4K

153.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$97.6 ARS 148.1K

-45.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$34.71 ARS 52.7K

-27.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$63.0 ARS 95.7K

45.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$69.9 ARS 106.0K

5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$519 ARS 787.3K

-10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$332 ARS 504.4K

-8.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$999 ARS 1.5M

-8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$812 ARS 1.2M

-32.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,324 ARS 3.5M

-17.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,818 ARS 2.8M

-20.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,114 ARS 1.7M

-46.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

100

-94.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Quilmes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Quilmes

$332 34.4% 9.1% $28

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Quilmes

$213 22.1% 10.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Quilmes

$119 12.4% 9% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Quilmes

$96 10% 1.9% $1.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Quilmes

$146 15.1% 84.5% $67

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Quilmes

$12 * 1.2% 81.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 8.2% $4.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $519 in Quilmes. 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 87% higher in Quilmes, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $34.00 in Quilmes. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $213 in Quilmes – so Quilmes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

17:59 5:59 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

230,810

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Quilmes 17,160 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quilmes

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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quilmes costs about 3% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,448 in Quilmes. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $34.00 in Quilmes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Quilmes – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Quilmes at $965. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Quilmes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $965 in Quilmes. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Quilmes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.