Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Macoris: $619 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Macoris
Learn more

San Pedro de Macoris Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

San Pedro de Macoris

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Macoris actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $619 in San Pedro de Macoris, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
San Pedro de Macoris $619

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,000 in San Pedro de Macoris, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
San Pedro de Macoris $1,000

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,381 in San Pedro de Macoris, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
San Pedro de Macoris $1,381

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than San Pedro de Macoris, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and San Pedro de Macoris are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, San Pedro de Macoris 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.72 DOP 350

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$41.44 DOP 2,539

-53.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.80 DOP 416

-17.79%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.75 DOP 107

-1.71%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.72 DOP 44.35

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.37 DOP 22.82

-10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.48 DOP 152

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.93 DOP 241

-0.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.15 DOP 70.4

78.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.79 DOP 110

-21.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.49 DOP 91.2

-14.09%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.49 DOP 91.3

51.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.15 DOP 377

175.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.47 DOP 212

-21.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$4.83 DOP 296

93.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.62 DOP 222

-33.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.39 DOP 85.1

-27.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.25 DOP 199

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.15 DOP 132

-29.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$3.44 DOP 211

-62.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.82 DOP 173

-60.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.94 DOP 57.7

-23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.66 DOP 102

-68.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.67 DOP 286

-7.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$16.37 DOP 1,003

8.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.85 DOP 174

-42.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.27 DOP 200

-12.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.52 DOP 155

-53.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$3.31 DOP 203

-82.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.23 DOP 75.6

17.89%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$14.6K DOP 896.7K

39.88%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

3.09%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$95.2 DOP 5,833

-34.54%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$26.76 DOP 1,640

-54.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$30.33 DOP 1,858

-34.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.05 DOP 309

32.87%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$150 DOP 9,199

430.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$5,470 DOP 335.1K

171.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$26.74 DOP 1,638

99.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$45.76 DOP 2,803

-45.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$62.5 DOP 3,831

46.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$66.7 DOP 4,084

10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$408 DOP 25.0K

124.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Pedro de Macoris: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

San Pedro de Macoris

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

San Pedro de Macoris

$235 38% 1.3% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

San Pedro de Macoris

$91 14.7% 17.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

San Pedro de Macoris

$152 24.6% 61% $58

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

San Pedro de Macoris

$112 18.1% 41.5% $33

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

San Pedro de Macoris

$19 * 3.1% 68.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

San Pedro de Macoris

$10 * 1.6% 80.3% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $41.00 in San Pedro de Macoris. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $235 in San Pedro de Macoris – so San Pedro de Macoris wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇴 San Pedro de Macoris

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

14:32 2:32 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

217,141

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Pedro de Macoris 15,680 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Pedro de Macoris

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 Macoris: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than San Pedro de Macoris, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $928 in San Pedro de Macoris. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $41.00 in San Pedro de Macoris. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro de Macoris, where all-in costs run around $619, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In San Pedro de Macoris it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Pedro de Macoris costs $619 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Pedro de Macoris. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.