Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Salto

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,326 in Salto, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
Learn more

Salto Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,326 in Salto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Salto $1,326

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,953 in Salto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Salto $1,953

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,579 in Salto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Salto $2,579

Chiang Mai is about 30% cheaper than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Salto are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Salto 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$16.48 UYU 661

-86.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$37.65 UYU 1,511

-47.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$11.98 UYU 481

-53.17%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.29 UYU 132

-49.54%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-68.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.60 UYU 64.4

-80.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$4.40 UYU 177

-45.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.11 UYU 125

19.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.38 UYU 55.4

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-34.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.49 UYU 59.8

-12.08%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$5.31 UYU 213

-58.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$15.08 UYU 605

10.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$8.78 UYU 352

-68.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$10.11 UYU 406

-9.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.23 UYU 49.43

94.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.17 UYU 87.1

-52.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.21 UYU 48.37

34.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.85 UYU 74.2

-18.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.89 UYU 35.69

44.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.74 UYU 70.0

-36.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.93 UYU 37.28

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.51 UYU 60.8

-64.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.32 UYU 214

-18.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.65 UYU 307

134.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.82 UYU 73.1

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.58 UYU 103

10.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.60 UYU 24.18

43.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$30.27 UYU 1,215

76.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$3.79 UYU 152

-84.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.93 UYU 77.5

-25.39%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$202 UYU 8,114

-69.17%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$21.95 UYU 881

-44.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$30.33 UYU 1,217

-34.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$37.19 UYU 1,492

-0.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$12.41 UYU 498

-69.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$10.00 UYU 401

-35.00%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$4,519 UYU 181.4K

227.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$88.5 UYU 3,552

-39.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$56.4 UYU 2,262

-56.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$113 UYU 4,542

-19.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$65.3 UYU 2,620

8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$451 UYU 18.1K

1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$293 UYU 11.8K

1.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$734 UYU 29.5K

23.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$419 UYU 16.8K

32.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$632 UYU 25.4K

-6.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Salto

$293 22.1% 1.5% $4.5

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Salto

$273 20.6% 15.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Salto

$145 11% 34.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Salto

$254 19.2% 170% $160

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Salto

$251 18.9% 219% $172

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Salto

$52 * 3.9% 15% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Salto

$57 4.3% 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 $455 in Chiang Mai versus $451 in Salto. 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 7% higher in Salto, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $38.00 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $273 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

104,028

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Salto 17,310 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Salto

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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salto costs about 43% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,988 in Salto. 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.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Salto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Salto at $1,326. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,326 in Salto. 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, Salto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.