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 40.5% cheaper than San José without rent, and 13.3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 37.1% cheaper than San José without rent, and 13.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$15.99 UYU 619

-87.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$55.5 UYU 2,149

-66.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$10.82 UYU 419

-26.80%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.7

$4.06 UYU 157

-50.25%

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

$0.84 ฿26.45

$2.15 UYU 83.3

-60.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.07

$1.72 UYU 66.6

-79.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$4.30 UYU 167

-48.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$3.75 UYU 145

-4.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.4

$1.01 UYU 39.26

65.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$1.99 UYU 77.2

-18.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.83

$1.48 UYU 57.4

-18.92%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$2.57 UYU 99.5

-24.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$12.08 UYU 468

32.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$7.31 UYU 283

-56.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿344

$11.16 UYU 432

-2.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$1.20 UYU 46.46

122.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.99

$1.45 UYU 56.2

-18.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$1.23 UYU 47.79

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.83

$1.46 UYU 56.5

8.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.64

$0.94 UYU 36.22

40.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.49

$1.20 UYU 46.31

-0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.20

$1.36 UYU 52.6

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.75

$1.69 UYU 65.4

-66.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$5.08 UYU 197

-8.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$10.32 UYU 399

83.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$2.36 UYU 91.3

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$2.90 UYU 112

10.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.32

$1.24 UYU 48.11

-27.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

$44.06 UYU 1,706

-56.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.78

$1.49 UYU 57.7

-8.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.37

$1.50 UYU 57.9

-10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$10.94 UYU 424

-25.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.43

$1.88 UYU 72.8

-35.11%

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

$21.4K ฿671.8K

$34.0K UYU 1.3M

-37.14%

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

$21.7K ฿683.8K

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

-39.14%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$169 UYU 6,551

-58.46%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$16.43 UYU 636

-15.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$48.59 UYU 1,881

-62.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,314

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$10.50 UYU 406

-45.52%

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

$308 ฿9,693

$485 UYU 18.8K

-36.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.7K

$8,800 UYU 340.7K

68.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,756

$93.2 UYU 3,609

-40.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿840

$47.99 UYU 1,858

-44.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,658

$116 UYU 4,495

-27.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,227

$122 UYU 4,709

-41.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,439

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for San José: January 10, 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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