Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Isidro, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,676 in San Isidro, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,676 in San Isidro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
San Isidro $1,676

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,650 in San Isidro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
San Isidro $2,650

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,623 in San Isidro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
San Isidro $3,623

Chiang Mai is about 44% cheaper than San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while San Isidro is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$11.90 ₡5,353

-82.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$57.6 ₡25.9K

-67.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$11.51 ₡5,177

-51.35%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$4.22 ₡1,897

-60.66%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$2.50 ₡1,123

-74.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.86 ₡837

-83.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$3.34 ₡1,504

-30.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.38 ₡1,972

-16.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$2.34 ₡1,050

-13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$3.02 ₡1,356

-53.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$2.50 ₡1,122

-44.40%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.43 ₡1,543

-30.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.72 ₡4,822

54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$10.66 ₡4,795

-74.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$14.17 ₡6,374

-36.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$4.96 ₡2,229

-51.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.67 ₡750

-37.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.28 ₡1,474

-49.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.52 ₡1,584

-55.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$2.86 ₡1,284

-56.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$3.16 ₡1,419

-65.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.03 ₡463

-26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$2.65 ₡1,192

-80.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.63 ₡2,531

-26.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$16.48 ₡7,412

8.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.64 ₡1,185

-38.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.71 ₡1,220

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$1.30 ₡583

-28.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$2.22 ₡997

-46.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.83 ₡822

-90.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$8.65 ₡3,891

-79.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.52 ₡682

-3.29%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-39.33%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$40.6K ₡18.3M

-34.76%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$93.6 ₡42.1K

-33.17%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$30.02 ₡13.5K

-61.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$59.9 ₡26.9K

-66.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$66.6 ₡30.0K

-43.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.97 ₡3,584

-18.32%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$857 ₡385.5K

-15.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$15.9K ₡7.2M

3.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$69.2 ₡31.1K

-22.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$48.22 ₡21.7K

-48.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$127 ₡57.2K

-28.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$138 ₡62.2K

-47.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$809 ₡364.0K

-40.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$624 ₡280.7K

-50.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,908 ₡858.1K

-44.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$1,245 ₡559.9K

-47.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$1,101 ₡495.2K

-45.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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 Isidro: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

San Isidro

$624 37.3% 101% $314

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

San Isidro

$373 22.3% 57.7% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

San Isidro

$172 10.3% 59.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Isidro

$184 11% 94.3% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

San Isidro

$223 13.3% 192% $147

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

San Isidro

$17 * 1% 71.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

San Isidro

$83 4.9% 62.2% $32

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 $809 in San Isidro. 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 85% higher in San Isidro. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $58 in San Isidro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $373 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

14:16 2:16 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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 = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Isidro 16,800 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Isidro

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 Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Isidro costs about 79% 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 $2,513 in San Isidro. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $809 in San Isidro.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $58 in San Isidro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in San Isidro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,676 in San Isidro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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

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