Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sabana Grande

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,317 in Sabana Grande, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. The total is higher in Sabana Grande despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Sabana Grande
Learn more

Sabana Grande Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sabana Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sabana Grande

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,317 in Sabana Grande, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sabana Grande $1,317

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,075 in Sabana Grande, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sabana Grande $2,075

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,833 in Sabana Grande, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sabana Grande $2,833

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Sabana Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sabana Grande are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sabana Grande 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$19.27 $19.27

-88.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$81.4 $81.4

-76.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.94 $8.94

-37.92%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.67 $3.67

-54.50%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.88 $1.88

-65.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.49 $1.49

-79.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.92 $2.92

-19.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.13 $5.13

-28.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.13 $2.13

-8.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.67 $3.67

-60.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.33 $2.33

-42.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.28 $7.28

-68.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$12.47 $12.47

31.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$9.38 $9.38

-70.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.46 $13.46

-30.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.97 $4.97

-52.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.64 $2.64

-63.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.84 $4.84

-66.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.84 $4.84

-69.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.84 $3.84

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$4.06 $4.06

-72.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$3.36 $3.36

-78.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.66 $1.66

-70.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$12.11 $12.11

-65.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$15.38 $15.38

13.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.10 $3.10

-48.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.92 $3.92

-29.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.54 $2.54

-54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.51 $1.51

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$42.44 $42.44

-94.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.18 $1.18

22.88%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$34.3K $34.3K

-38.67%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$27.9K $27.9K

-3.47%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$320 $320

-80.55%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$68.4 $68.4

-82.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$69.1 $69.1

-70.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.65 $10.65

-39.06%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$833 $833

-11.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$12.7K $12.7K

16.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$56.2 $56.2

-5.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$61.1 $61.1

-59.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$109 $109

-16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$113 $113

-36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sabana Grande: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sabana Grande

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sabana Grande

$412 31.3% 76% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sabana Grande

$153 11.6% 40.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sabana Grande

$457 34.7% 384% $363

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sabana Grande

$263 20% 240% $186

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sabana Grande

$10 * 0.8% 83.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sabana Grande

$21 * 1.6% 57.6% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $81 in Sabana Grande. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $412 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇷 Sabana Grande

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

18:30 6:30 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

25,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Sabana Grande 15,640 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sabana Grande

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 Sabana Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sabana Grande costs about 41% 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 $1,976 in Sabana Grande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $81 in Sabana Grande. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Sabana Grande, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,317 in Sabana Grande. 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 $1,317 in Sabana Grande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.