Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and San Salvador de Jujuy

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,215 in San Salvador de Jujuy, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
San Salvador de Jujuy
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,215
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in San Salvador de Jujuy

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 Salvador de Jujuy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,215 in San Salvador de Jujuy, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $938
  • San Salvador de Jujuy $1,215

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,920 in San Salvador de Jujuy, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,426
  • San Salvador de Jujuy $1,920

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,625 in San Salvador de Jujuy, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,914
  • San Salvador de Jujuy $2,625

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

Both Chiang Mai and San Salvador de Jujuy are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, San Salvador de Jujuy 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.26 ฿75.4
$16.30 ARS 24.7K
-86.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.18 ฿641
$57.5 ARS 87.3K
-66.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 ฿187
$13.09 ARS 19.9K
-57.30%
Cappuccino
$1.72 ฿57.6
$3.69 ARS 5,599
-53.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$2.21 ARS 3,361
-71.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.18
$1.88 ARS 2,849
-82.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿78.7
$3.88 ARS 5,881
-39.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 ฿130
$4.07 ARS 6,180
-4.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ฿68.6
$1.39 ARS 2,102
47.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 ฿46.70
$2.21 ARS 3,359
-36.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.89
$1.90 ARS 2,877
-32.63%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿75.3
$2.54 ARS 3,859
-11.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.94 ฿566
$10.26 ARS 15.6K
65.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.74 ฿91.6
$7.29 ARS 11.1K
-62.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.36 ฿313
$12.01 ARS 18.2K
-22.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.3
$2.40 ARS 3,639
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 ฿33.92
$2.27 ARS 3,449
-55.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 ฿53.9
$1.43 ARS 2,165
12.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ฿50.7
$2.31 ARS 3,508
-34.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.90
$1.12 ARS 1,694
14.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.22
$1.10 ARS 1,668
0.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.09
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.54
$1.81 ARS 2,748
-71.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.33 ฿145
$3.45 ARS 5,230
25.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.73 ฿593
$4.90 ARS 7,429
261.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.4
$2.18 ARS 3,314
-25.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.3
$2.92 ARS 4,428
-2.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 ฿28.31
$1.00 ARS 1,513
-15.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ฿1,801
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 ฿39.18
$1.56 ARS 2,371
-25.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿19.00
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.37 ฿79.2
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$1.18 ARS 1,788
22.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K ฿684.3K
$28.7K ARS 43.5M
-28.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿886.1K
$29.9K ARS 45.4M
-11.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,083
$113 ARS 171.1K
-44.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.27 ฿410
$17.09 ARS 25.9K
-28.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.97 ฿668
$28.26 ARS 42.9K
-29.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.91 ฿1,267
$31.10 ARS 47.2K
21.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.76 ฿126
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.71 ฿224
$9.42 ARS 14.3K
-28.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 ฿26.6K
$300 ARS 454.6K
166.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿495.7K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ฿1,780
$103 ARS 156.8K
-48.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.05 ฿837
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 ฿3,062
$118 ARS 179.2K
-22.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 ฿2,455
$138 ARS 209.4K
-46.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$464 ฿15.5K
$502 ARS 761.8K
-7.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ฿10.2K
$328 ARS 497.8K
-7.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ฿30.6K
$957 ARS 1.5M
-4.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$584 ARS 886.8K
-5.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,912 ฿63.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,438 ฿48.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
San Salvador de Jujuy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿19.9K
$590 ARS 895.6K
0.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
0
-

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 Salvador de Jujuy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$305
San Salvador de Jujuy
$328 7.7% $23
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$238
San Salvador de Jujuy
$254 * 6.6% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
San Salvador de Jujuy
$162 * 47.7% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$95
San Salvador de Jujuy
$158 67.2% $64
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
San Salvador de Jujuy
$258 226% $179
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
San Salvador de Jujuy
$5.6 * 90.9% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
San Salvador de Jujuy
$50 2.7% $1.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $502 in San Salvador de Jujuy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $58.0 in San Salvador de Jujuy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $254 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇦🇷 San Salvador de Jujuy
🕒 Local time
23:12 11:12 PM
13:12 1:12 PM
10 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
231,229
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai San Salvador de Jujuy 18,280 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • San Salvador de Jujuy

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 Salvador de Jujuy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or San Salvador de Jujuy?
San Salvador de Jujuy 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in San Salvador de Jujuy?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,822 in San Salvador de Jujuy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or San Salvador de Jujuy?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in San Salvador de Jujuy?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $58.0 in San Salvador de Jujuy. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in San Salvador de Jujuy?
Groceries cost about 7% more in San Salvador de Jujuy, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chiang Mai or in San Salvador de Jujuy?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in San Salvador de Jujuy at $1,215. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Salvador de Jujuy it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or San Salvador de Jujuy?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,215 in San Salvador de Jujuy. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to San Salvador de Jujuy?
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.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to San Salvador de Jujuy?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Salvador de Jujuy makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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