Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San José Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San José

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 36.5% cheaper than San José without rent, and 14.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 38.1% cheaper than San José without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 ฿64.8

$16.42 UYU 650

-87.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.59 ฿594

$54.9 UYU 2,173

-66.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿239

$10.81 UYU 428

-30.80%

Cappuccino

$2.00 ฿63.8

$4.26 UYU 169

-53.05%

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

$0.85 ฿27.08

$2.22 UYU 87.9

-61.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.24

$1.71 UYU 67.9

-79.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿70.7

$4.27 UYU 169

-48.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿120

$3.70 UYU 147

1.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿54.9

$1.01 UYU 40.05

70.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿52.2

$1.97 UYU 78.0

-17.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ฿37.04

$1.49 UYU 58.8

-22.15%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿63.3

$2.56 UYU 101

-22.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ฿509

$12.33 UYU 488

29.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿101

$7.55 UYU 299

-58.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿349

$10.91 UYU 432

-0.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ฿84.6

$1.25 UYU 49.38

112.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿39.09

$1.46 UYU 57.6

-16.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ฿54.3

$1.24 UYU 49.00

37.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿50.8

$1.43 UYU 56.6

11.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿42.33

$1.02 UYU 40.24

29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿37.36

$1.26 UYU 49.70

-7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ฿21.67

$1.35 UYU 53.5

-49.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.81

$1.66 UYU 65.8

-66.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 ฿144

$5.12 UYU 203

-11.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 ฿610

$10.43 UYU 413

82.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿56.6

$2.37 UYU 93.9

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿102

$3.01 UYU 119

5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ฿30.78

$1.25 UYU 49.32

-23.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿604

$43.66 UYU 1,728

-56.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿43.41

$1.51 UYU 59.8

-9.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿43.23

$1.51 UYU 59.9

-10.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ฿257

$10.91 UYU 432

-26.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿39.74

$1.83 UYU 72.4

-32.24%

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

$21.2K ฿676.6K

$34.8K UYU 1.4M

-39.11%

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

$21.8K ฿695.5K

$36.9K UYU 1.5M

-40.99%

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

$71.2 ฿2,277

$174 UYU 6,905

-59.17%

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

$14.09 ฿450

$16.56 UYU 655

-14.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 ฿559

$49.55 UYU 1,961

-64.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ฿1,345

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿220

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ฿190

$10.59 UYU 419

-43.91%

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

$307 ฿9,827

$480 UYU 19.0K

-35.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿473.0K

$8,930 UYU 353.4K

65.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ฿1,780

$93.3 UYU 3,694

-40.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿856

$47.53 UYU 1,881

-43.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,661

$115 UYU 4,556

-27.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ฿2,241

$124 UYU 4,899

-43.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,580

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 ฿25.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿16.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿65.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿49.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

-11.97%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for San José: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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