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 33.2% cheaper than San José without rent, and 13% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 36.8% cheaper than San José without rent, and 13.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 ฿65.3

$15.87 UYU 652

-87.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.78 ฿608

$54.1 UYU 2,222

-65.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 ฿248

$11.18 UYU 460

-31.40%

Cappuccino

$1.98 ฿64.2

$4.26 UYU 175

-53.52%

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

$0.82 ฿26.64

$2.17 UYU 89

-62.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿10.58

$1.77 UYU 72.6

-81.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ฿68.6

$4.33 UYU 178

-51.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿121

$3.74 UYU 154

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿53.2

$0.99 UYU 40.62

65.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ฿50.9

$1.91 UYU 78.6

-17.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ฿38.62

$1.46 UYU 59.8

-18.49%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿64.1

$2.51 UYU 103

-21.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.99 ฿517

$12.42 UYU 510

28.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ฿101

$7.13 UYU 293

-56.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿361

$11.19 UYU 460

-0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ฿89.2

$1.19 UYU 49.1

131.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿39.5

$1.49 UYU 61

-18.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿55.4

$1.19 UYU 49

43.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿50.2

$1.49 UYU 61.3

4.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 ฿43.21

$0.93 UYU 38.35

44.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ฿39.23

$1.2 UYU 49.51

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿23.2

$1.32 UYU 54.4

-45.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.05

$1.66 UYU 68.2

-68.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 ฿153

$5.01 UYU 206

-5.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ฿595

$9.91 UYU 407

85.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿57.9

$2.35 UYU 96.5

-23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿104

$3.01 UYU 124

6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ฿30.44

$1.24 UYU 50.9

-24.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.9 ฿612

$43.32 UYU 1,780

-56.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ฿46.08

$1.49 UYU 61.4

-4.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿43.53

$1.56 UYU 63.9

-13.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 ฿254

$11.22 UYU 461

-30.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ฿40.4

$1.82 UYU 74.9

-31.32%

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

$21.2K ฿684.9K

$34.4K UYU 1.4M

-38.52%

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

$21.8K ฿706.8K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-40.46%

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

$70.6 ฿2,285

$172 UYU 7,055

-58.87%

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

$13.72 ฿444

$16.75 UYU 688

-18.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.56 ฿568

$49 UYU 2,014

-64.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.64 ฿1,347

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.9 ฿223

Cinema Ticket

$5.8 ฿188

$10.6 UYU 435

-45.28%

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

$308 ฿9,963

$483 UYU 19.9K

-36.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ฿475.8K

$8,821 UYU 362.5K

66.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 ฿1,793

$91.7 UYU 3,768

-39.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.4 ฿854

$46.8 UYU 1,923

-43.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 ฿2,755

$115 UYU 4,739

-26.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ฿2,323

$123 UYU 5,072

-41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ฿14K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ฿7,610

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 ฿26.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,180 ฿70.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,543 ฿49.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ฿22.8K

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: October 29, 2025

Last update for San José: October 28, 2025

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