Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Pedro de Atacama

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Pedro de Atacama

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in San Pedro de Atacama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
San Pedro de Atacama $1,078

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,628 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
San Pedro de Atacama $1,628

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,178 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
San Pedro de Atacama $2,178

Chiang Mai is about 13% cheaper than San Pedro de Atacama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and San Pedro de Atacama are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Pedro de Atacama 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$7.15 CLP 7,000

-70.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$44.87 CLP 43.9K

-58.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.20 CLP 8,030

-31.71%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.80 CLP 2,742

-40.71%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.58 CLP 1,546

-58.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$1.17 CLP 1,149

-74.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$3.46 CLP 3,387

-32.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.89 CLP 3,812

-5.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.18 CLP 1,155

71.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.47 CLP 1,444

-4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.64 CLP 1,604

-15.24%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$3.70 CLP 3,627

-35.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$10.32 CLP 10.1K

60.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$6.68 CLP 6,543

-60.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$11.69 CLP 11.4K

-22.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.99 CLP 1,946

20.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.57 CLP 1,534

-33.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.77 CLP 1,732

-6.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.73 CLP 1,698

-9.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.66 CLP 1,626

-25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.54 CLP 1,512

-29.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$1.36 CLP 1,327

-44.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$1.23 CLP 1,200

-58.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$5.18 CLP 5,076

-20.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$5.22 CLP 5,114

243.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.62 CLP 1,583

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.17 CLP 2,121

29.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.62 CLP 612

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$0.70 CLP 681

68.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.38 CLP 1,348

6.52%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$17.9K CLP 17.5M

17.49%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$19.3K CLP 18.9M

37.48%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$134 CLP 131.5K

-53.41%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$13.70 CLP 13.4K

-15.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$21.72 CLP 21.3K

-6.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$38.10 CLP 37.3K

-0.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$23.29 CLP 22.8K

-84.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$5.32 CLP 5,212

22.37%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$386 CLP 377.7K

88.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$8,304 CLP 8.1M

99.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$47.49 CLP 46.5K

12.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$25.06 CLP 24.5K

-1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$60.7 CLP 59.4K

49.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$81.5 CLP 79.8K

-11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$484 CLP 473.8K

-0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$375 CLP 366.9K

-17.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$889 CLP 870.9K

18.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$584 CLP 572.2K

12.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$2,309 CLP 2.3M

4.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.01

11.18%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

San Pedro de Atacama

$375 34.8% 20.9% $65

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

San Pedro de Atacama

$234 21.7% 1.3% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

San Pedro de Atacama

$97 9% 10.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Pedro de Atacama

$170 15.7% 79.7% $75

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

San Pedro de Atacama

$152 14.1% 97.9% $75

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

San Pedro de Atacama

$3.2 * 0.3% 94.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

San Pedro de Atacama

$49 4.5% 4.2% $2.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $484 in San Pedro de Atacama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $45 in San Pedro de Atacama. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $234 in San Pedro de Atacama – so San Pedro de Atacama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,347

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Pedro de Atacama 18,610 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Pedro de Atacama

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 San Pedro de Atacama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pedro de Atacama costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,617 in San Pedro de Atacama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $484 in San Pedro de Atacama. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama. That makes Chiang Mai about 13% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $45 in San Pedro de Atacama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.