Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Rafael, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,718 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Rafael

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,718 in San Rafael, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
San Rafael $1,718

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,741 in San Rafael, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
San Rafael $2,741

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,765 in San Rafael, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
San Rafael $3,765

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while San Rafael is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$12.45 ₡5,597

-82.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$62.3 ₡28.0K

-70.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$11.82 ₡5,315

-52.62%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$4.34 ₡1,951

-61.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$2.61 ₡1,174

-75.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.93 ₡866

-84.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$3.30 ₡1,484

-29.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.46 ₡2,007

-17.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$2.31 ₡1,039

-12.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$3.06 ₡1,375

-53.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$2.39 ₡1,074

-41.84%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.53 ₡1,589

-32.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.70 ₡4,813

54.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$10.61 ₡4,772

-74.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$13.86 ₡6,232

-34.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$5.12 ₡2,301

-53.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.60 ₡717

-35.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$4.89 ₡2,197

-66.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.82 ₡1,718

-59.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$3.72 ₡1,671

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$3.71 ₡1,666

-70.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.13 ₡509

-32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$3.20 ₡1,439

-84.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.00 ₡2,696

-31.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$19.67 ₡8,846

-8.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.87 ₡1,291

-43.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.55 ₡1,595

-20.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$1.35 ₡607

-31.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$2.46 ₡1,107

-52.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.62 ₡728

-89.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$8.85 ₡3,978

-79.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.56 ₡702

-5.77%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-38.08%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-37.19%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$96.5 ₡43.4K

-35.16%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$35.72 ₡16.1K

-67.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$59.7 ₡26.9K

-66.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$68.3 ₡30.7K

-44.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.73 ₡3,478

-15.78%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$985 ₡442.8K

-26.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-2.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$72.3 ₡32.5K

-25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$56.9 ₡25.6K

-56.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$127 ₡56.9K

-28.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$133 ₡59.6K

-45.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$795 ₡357.3K

-39.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$621 ₡279.3K

-50.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,888 ₡849.2K

-43.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$1,271 ₡571.8K

-48.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.62

-35.38%

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 Rafael: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

San Rafael

$621 36.1% 100% $311

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

San Rafael

$400 23.3% 69.1% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

San Rafael

$175 10.2% 61.3% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

San Rafael

$192 11.2% 103% $97

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

San Rafael

$231 13.4% 201% $154

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9% 72.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

San Rafael

$84 4.9% 64.7% $33

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 $795 in San Rafael. 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 $62 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $400 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

13:36 1:36 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

30,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai San Rafael 16,800 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Rafael costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $2,577 in San Rafael. 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 $481 there versus $795 in San Rafael.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $62 in San Rafael. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in San Rafael, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,718 in San Rafael. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.