Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $850 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $850 in Sal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Sal $850

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,313 in Sal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Sal $1,313

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,777 in Sal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Sal $1,777

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sal are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Sal 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.51 CVE 540

-58.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$44.18 CVE 4,332

-56.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$11.03 CVE 1,081

-49.32%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.32 CVE 227

-25.86%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.54 CVE 249

-74.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.09 CVE 107

-69.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$4.61 CVE 452

-48.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.07 CVE 301

27.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.58 CVE 155

29.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.27 CVE 223

-38.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.20 CVE 118

6.67%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.79 CVE 273

-19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.03 CVE 886

87.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.51 CVE 736

-63.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$15.99 CVE 1,568

-41.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.16 CVE 310

-24.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.49 CVE 245

-59.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.33 CVE 326

-51.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.98 CVE 391

-61.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.64 CVE 161

-21.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.85 CVE 182

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.55 CVE 152

-53.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.10 CVE 108

-52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.57 CVE 448

-5.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$6.40 CVE 628

177.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$4.03 CVE 395

-59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.88 CVE 184

51.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.99 CVE 96.6

-14.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.08 CVE 204

-43.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$3.08 CVE 302

-81.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$12.65 CVE 1,240

-81.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.38 CVE 135

5.07%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$60.8 CVE 5,964

2.48%

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

$12.27 ฿410

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$49.23 CVE 4,827

-59.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$27.47 CVE 2,694

38.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$115 CVE 11.2K

594.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$30.09 CVE 2,950

76.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$144 CVE 14.1K

-48.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$252 CVE 24.7K

84.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$168 CVE 16.5K

81.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$307 CVE 30.1K

198.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$206 CVE 20.2K

167.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$654 CVE 64.1K

192.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$331 CVE 32.5K

334.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$257 CVE 25.2K

131.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Sal

$168 19.8% 44.9% $137

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Sal

$296 34.8% 24.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Sal

$78 * 9.2% 28.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Sal

$110 * 13% 16.4% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Sal

$149 17.5% 88.2% $70

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Sal

$21 * 2.5% 65% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Sal

$27 * 3.2% 46.5% $24

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 $252 in Sal. 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 132% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $44.00 in Sal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $296 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

8 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,288

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.2 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 98.05 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.07 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Sal 12,540 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Sal, 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 $1,274 in Sal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sal, 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 $44.00 in Sal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sal, where all-in costs run around $850, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Sal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sal costs $850 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Sal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.