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 6.6% cheaper than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 16.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 15.3% cheaper than San Juan del Sur without rent, and 24.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 ฿64.4

$4.16 NIO 153

-51.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.23 ฿583

$33.23 NIO 1,222

-45.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ฿244

$5.50 NIO 203

39.09%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ฿61.3

$2.39 NIO 87.9

-19.67%

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

$0.84 ฿26.90

$0.80 NIO 29.42

5.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.39

$0.67 NIO 24.77

-46.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ฿70.0

$1.29 NIO 47.62

69.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$2.03 NIO 74.6

86.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿52.4

$1.26 NIO 46.26

30.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.8

$1.48 NIO 54.3

9.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.88

$1.18 NIO 43.38

-2.54%

Eggs

$1.94 ฿62.0

$1.91 NIO 70.2

1.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 ฿510

$7.79 NIO 287

104.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ฿99.2

$6.53 NIO 240

-52.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ฿354

$7.96 NIO 293

39.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿86.5

$3.80 NIO 140

-28.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿37.69

$0.89 NIO 32.78

32.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿54.5

$1.75 NIO 64.4

-2.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.3

$2.25 NIO 82.9

-28.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ฿44.53

$3.18 NIO 117

-56.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.70

$2.18 NIO 80.2

-47.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.76

$1.07 NIO 39.28

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿17.60

$1.02 NIO 37.35

-46.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 ฿146

$2.72 NIO 99.9

68.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.87 ฿603

$10.16 NIO 374

85.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.2

$1.46 NIO 53.8

24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿103

$2.26 NIO 83.3

42.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿604

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ฿45.17

$1.48 NIO 54.4

-4.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 ฿41.59

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 ฿262

$6.88 NIO 253

19.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ฿39.18

$1.29 NIO 47.54

-4.65%

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

$21.2K ฿677.0K

$23.3K NIO 856.7K

-9.06%

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

$22.3K ฿713.3K

$26.4K NIO 970.9K

-15.46%

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

$69.9 ฿2,234

$42.17 NIO 1,551

65.69%

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

$14.07 ฿450

$10.35 NIO 381

35.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.70 ฿566

$35.61 NIO 1,310

-50.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 ฿1,324

$30.39 NIO 1,118

36.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 ฿184

$7.89 NIO 290

-27.25%

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

$299 ฿9,566

$125 NIO 4,596

139.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ฿479.8K

$5,941 NIO 218.6K

152.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,753

$76.5 NIO 2,814

-28.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.35 ฿842

$71.4 NIO 2,628

-63.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ฿2,706

$133 NIO 4,905

-36.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ฿2,229

$107 NIO 3,919

-34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.6K

$468 NIO 17.2K

-8.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ฿7,697

$402 NIO 14.8K

-40.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.9K

$964 NIO 35.5K

-15.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿15.9K

$968 NIO 35.6K

-48.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 ฿20.4K

$278 NIO 10.2K

130.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.25

-51.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

Last update for San Juan del Sur: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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