Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Juan del Sur Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Juan del Sur

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 5.8% more expensive than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 15.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 11.1% cheaper than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 23.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.02 ฿65.3
$4.09 NIO 150
-50.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.78 ฿608
$33.28 NIO 1,219
-43.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.67 ฿248
$5.71 NIO 209
34.33%
Cappuccino
$1.98 ฿64.2
$2.35 NIO 86.2
-15.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 ฿26.64
$0.81 NIO 29.56
1.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.58
$0.68 NIO 24.77
-51.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ฿68.6
$1.32 NIO 48.39
60.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿121
$2.06 NIO 75.4
81.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿53.2
$1.27 NIO 46.58
29.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 ฿50.9
$1.47 NIO 53.7
6.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 ฿38.62
$1.18 NIO 43.26
0.85%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿64.1
$1.95 NIO 71.3
1.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.99 ฿517
$7.94 NIO 291
101.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.12 ฿101
$6.22 NIO 228
-49.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿361
$7.78 NIO 285
43.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 ฿89.2
$3.79 NIO 139
-27.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.5
$0.89 NIO 32.67
37.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿55.4
$1.77 NIO 64.7
-3.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 ฿50.2
$2.27 NIO 83.3
-31.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 ฿43.21
$3.22 NIO 118
-58.39%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 ฿39.23
$2.26 NIO 82.9
-46.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿23.2
$1.06 NIO 38.68
-32.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.05
$1.02 NIO 37.33
-48.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.72 ฿153
$2.64 NIO 96.7
78.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.39 ฿595
$9.93 NIO 364
85.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.9
$1.44 NIO 52.9
24.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿104
$2.26 NIO 82.7
42.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ฿30.44
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.9 ฿612
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ฿46.08
$1.52 NIO 55.7
-6.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.53
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 ฿254
$6.97 NIO 255
12.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 ฿40.4
$1.3 NIO 47.56
-3.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿684.9K
$23.2K NIO 851.2K
-8.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿706.8K
$26.3K NIO 962.9K
-16.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.6 ฿2,285
$42.09 NIO 1,542
67.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.72 ฿444
$10.41 NIO 381
31.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.56 ฿568
$36.05 NIO 1,320
-51.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.64 ฿1,347
$29.98 NIO 1,098
38.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.9 ฿223
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.8 ฿188
$7.93 NIO 290
-26.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 ฿9,963
$123 NIO 4,499
150.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ฿475.8K
$6,108 NIO 223.7K
140.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 ฿1,793
$78.3 NIO 2,868
-29.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.4 ฿854
$72.8 NIO 2,667
-63.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.1 ฿2,755
$134 NIO 4,923
-36.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.8 ฿2,323
$109 NIO 4,005
-34.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 ฿14K
$471 NIO 17.3K
-7.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 ฿7,610
$405 NIO 14.8K
-41.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 ฿26.6K
$961 NIO 35.2K
-14.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿16.1K
$966 NIO 35.4K
-48.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,180 ฿70.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,543 ฿49.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ฿22.8K
$275 NIO 10.1K
155.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
10.25
-51.22%

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 Juan del Sur: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.