Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Pedro Sula

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,211 in San Pedro Sula, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro Sula
Learn more

San Pedro Sula Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

San Pedro Sula

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,211 in San Pedro Sula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
San Pedro Sula $1,211

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,818 in San Pedro Sula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
San Pedro Sula $1,818

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,425 in San Pedro Sula, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
San Pedro Sula $2,425

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than San Pedro Sula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and San Pedro Sula are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, San Pedro Sula 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$7.56 HNL 203

-70.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$33.39 HNL 897

-43.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.23 HNL 248

-39.87%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.40 HNL 64.5

-30.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.02 HNL 27.32

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.78 HNL 20.89

-60.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.81 HNL 48.67

30.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.54 HNL 95.0

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.47 HNL 39.52

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.94 HNL 52.1

-25.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.62 HNL 43.41

-17.90%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.30 HNL 61.8

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.92 HNL 240

84.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.83 HNL 184

-59.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.55 HNL 256

-2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.52 HNL 94.5

-33.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.22 HNL 32.78

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$3.31 HNL 89.0

-51.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.68 HNL 45.17

-10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.50 HNL 67.2

-48.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.40 HNL 64.4

-54.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.49 HNL 39.93

-52.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.61 HNL 43.16

-69.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.90 HNL 78.0

42.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$12.91 HNL 347

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.84 HNL 22.56

91.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.39 HNL 37.41

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.65 HNL 17.38

33.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$36.23 HNL 974

49.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.75 HNL 73.9

-57.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.90 HNL 51.2

-72.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$11.02 HNL 296

-78.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.00 HNL 26.87

45.00%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.6K HNL 635.2K

-10.93%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$25.0K HNL 672.6K

7.62%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$130 HNL 3,498

-52.25%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.90 HNL 293

11.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$43.26 HNL 1,162

-53.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$37.63 HNL 1,011

-0.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.08 HNL 378

-73.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.59 HNL 150

16.10%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$151 HNL 4,058

387.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$3,135 HNL 84.2K

370.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$73.1 HNL 1,965

-27.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$39.97 HNL 1,074

-38.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$79.3 HNL 2,130

15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$73.7 HNL 1,979

-2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$557 HNL 15.0K

-13.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$410 HNL 11.0K

-24.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$804 HNL 21.6K

25.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$715 HNL 19.2K

-11.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$986 HNL 26.5K

139.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$424 HNL 11.4K

275.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$603 HNL 16.2K

-2.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.33

-54.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Pedro Sula: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

San Pedro Sula

$410 33.9% 32.7% $101

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

San Pedro Sula

$256 21.2% 9.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

San Pedro Sula

$120 9.9% 10.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Pedro Sula

$184 15.2% 95.2% $90

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

San Pedro Sula

$140 11.6% 80.9% $63

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

San Pedro Sula

$51 4.2% 16.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

San Pedro Sula

$49 4% 2.9% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $557 in San Pedro Sula. 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 $33 in San Pedro Sula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $256 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇳 San Pedro Sula

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

19:29 7:29 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

719,064

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 26.87 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 29.91 HNL (100 HNL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Pedro Sula 16,130 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Pedro Sula

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 Sula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pedro Sula costs about 29% 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 $1,816 in San Pedro Sula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $557 in San Pedro Sula.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $151 in San Pedro Sula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in San Pedro Sula, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,211 in San Pedro Sula. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,211 in San Pedro Sula. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.