Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Bernardo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Bernardo: $895 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $480 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardo
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San Bernardo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

San Bernardo

🇨🇱 Chile

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Bernardo

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $895 in San Bernardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
San Bernardo $895

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,397 in San Bernardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
San Bernardo $1,397

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,899 in San Bernardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
San Bernardo $1,899

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than San Bernardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and San Bernardo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Bernardo 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$7.39 CLP 7,244

-71.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$25.03 CLP 24.5K

-25.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$6.67 CLP 6,536

-16.04%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.60 CLP 2,549

-36.15%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.95 CLP 929

-31.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.00 CLP 980

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$3.93 CLP 3,851

-40.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.52 CLP 4,427

-18.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.08 CLP 1,057

87.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.29 CLP 1,264

9.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.61 CLP 1,582

-13.66%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.92 CLP 3,845

-39.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$11.06 CLP 10.8K

49.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.40 CLP 4,309

-39.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$10.44 CLP 10.2K

-13.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.86 CLP 1,822

29.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.48 CLP 1,448

-29.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.42 CLP 1,393

16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.69 CLP 1,655

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.83 CLP 812

49.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.79 CLP 777

37.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.16 CLP 1,141

-34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$1.06 CLP 1,040

-51.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.25 CLP 3,185

26.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$5.87 CLP 5,752

205.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.53 CLP 1,500

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.31 CLP 2,266

22.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.84 CLP 826

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$0.38 CLP 373

210.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.90 CLP 880

-81.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$11.63 CLP 11.4K

-84.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.36 CLP 1,334

8.09%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$16.9K CLP 16.5M

24.50%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$25.1K CLP 24.6M

5.84%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$124 CLP 121.2K

-49.40%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$11.82 CLP 11.6K

-1.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$16.26 CLP 15.9K

24.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$19.36 CLP 19.0K

95.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.32 CLP 7,171

-11.07%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$442 CLP 433.2K

64.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$10.7K CLP 10.5M

54.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$35.97 CLP 35.3K

48.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$26.70 CLP 26.2K

-7.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$66.6 CLP 65.3K

35.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$81.0 CLP 79.4K

-11.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$267 CLP 261.9K

80.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$250 CLP 244.9K

24.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$697 CLP 682.9K

51.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$536 CLP 525.2K

22.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,858 CLP 1.8M

30.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,374 CLP 1.3M

17.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$1,333 CLP 1.3M

-55.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.39

3.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Bernardo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

San Bernardo

$250 27.9% 19.4% $60

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

San Bernardo

$210 23.5% 11.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

San Bernardo

$95 10.6% 12.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Bernardo

$152 17% 60.6% $57

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

San Bernardo

$147 16.4% 91.7% $70

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

San Bernardo

$8.2 * 0.9% 86% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

San Bernardo

$34 3.8% 33.2% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $267 in San Bernardo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in San Bernardo are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in San Bernardo. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $210 in San Bernardo – so San Bernardo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇱 San Bernardo

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

15:43 3:43 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

290,912

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.2 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 980 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,097 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Bernardo 18,080 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Bernardo

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 San Bernardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than San Bernardo, 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 $1,343 in San Bernardo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Bernardo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $25 in San Bernardo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $895 in San Bernardo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Bernardo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.