Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Santa Isabel

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Isabel despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
Learn more

Santa Isabel Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Santa Isabel

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Santa Isabel $1,298

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,045 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Santa Isabel $2,045

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,791 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Santa Isabel $2,791

Chiang Mai is about 28% cheaper than Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Santa Isabel are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Santa Isabel 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$19.18 $19.18

-88.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$82.6 $82.6

-77.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$9.06 $9.06

-38.19%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.61 $3.61

-54.02%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.89 $1.89

-65.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.51 $1.51

-80.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$3.02 $3.02

-23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$5.07 $5.07

-27.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.31 $1.31

54.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$3.40 $3.40

-58.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$2.42 $2.42

-42.56%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$6.21 $6.21

-61.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$12.41 $12.41

33.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$9.82 $9.82

-72.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$13.10 $13.10

-31.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$5.01 $5.01

-52.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.54 $2.54

-59.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$4.94 $4.94

-66.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$4.67 $4.67

-66.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$3.85 $3.85

-67.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$3.88 $3.88

-71.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$3.37 $3.37

-77.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$1.65 $1.65

-69.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$12.04 $12.04

-65.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$15.50 $15.50

15.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$3.14 $3.14

-48.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.94 $3.94

-28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$2.44 $2.44

-51.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.66 $0.66

-74.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$39.69 $39.69

-95.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.09 $1.09

34.86%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$35.1K $35.1K

-40.10%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$27.9K $27.9K

-5.05%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$318 $318

-80.30%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$68.5 $68.5

-83.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$71.1 $71.1

-71.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$10.62 $10.62

-38.70%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$826 $826

-12.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$12.0K $12.0K

38.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$56.7 $56.7

-5.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$62.2 $62.2

-60.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$107 $107

-15.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$115 $115

-37.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

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

6.55

-14.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Santa Isabel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6% 68.1% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8% 41.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2% 384% $363

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2% 243% $186

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4% 90.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6% 58.3% $30

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 in Chiang Mai versus $83 in Santa Isabel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $398 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

06:15 6:15 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

23,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Santa Isabel 15,630 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Santa Isabel

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 Santa Isabel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Isabel costs about 39% 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 $1,948 in Santa Isabel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $83 in Santa Isabel. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Santa Isabel, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,298 in Santa Isabel. 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 $1,298 in Santa Isabel. 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.