Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Name: Santo Domingo
Address: Santo Domingo, EC

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $723 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Santo Domingo

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $723 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Santo Domingo $723

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,190 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Santo Domingo $1,190

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,657 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Santo Domingo $1,657

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Santo Domingo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Santo Domingo 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.96 $3.96

-43.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$51.5 $51.5

-63.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.15 $9.15

-39.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.98 $1.98

-15.66%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.88 $0.88

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.73 $0.73

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.98 $1.98

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$4.17 $4.17

-12.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.02 $1.02

91.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.93 $1.93

-25.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.31 $1.31

1.53%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.01 $2.01

13.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$4.34 $4.34

279.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.99 $2.99

-7.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$3.54 $3.54

162.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.51 $1.51

55.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.98 $0.98

-1.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.01 $1.01

58.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.92 $0.92

63.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.98 $0.98

30.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.92 $0.92

19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.82 $0.82

-13.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.99 $0.99

-50.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.87 $5.87

-29.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$5.04 $5.04

247.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.50 $1.50

7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.13 $2.13

30.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.33 $0.33

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.82 $2.82

-58.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.80 $1.80

-70.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$12.11 $12.11

-80.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.90 $0.90

61.11%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$23.1K $23.1K

-8.76%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$30.5K $30.5K

-11.69%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$34.76 $34.76

78.86%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.83 $9.83

23.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$23.21 $23.21

-13.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$32.57 $32.57

14.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.80 $17.80

-78.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.55 $7.55

-14.04%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$379 $379

94.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,642 $5,642

161.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$19.97 $19.97

167.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$29.92 $29.92

-17.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$50.4 $50.4

81.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$49.26 $49.26

46.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$422 $422

14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$274 $274

12.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$832 $832

20.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$499 $499

26.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$10.2K $10.2K

-84.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$401 $401

47.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.05

-44.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Santo Domingo

$274 37.9% 11.2% $35

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Santo Domingo

$145 20.1% 38% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3% 38.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4% 28.2% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Santo Domingo

$108 14.9% 38.7% $30

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Santo Domingo

$13 * 1.8% 78.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Santo Domingo

$48 6.6% 5.2% $2.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $422 in Santo Domingo. 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 47% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $51 in Santo Domingo. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $145 in Santo Domingo – so Santo Domingo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

270,875

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Santo Domingo 17,940 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Santo Domingo

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 Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Santo Domingo, 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 $1,085 in Santo Domingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santo Domingo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $51 in Santo Domingo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

If budget matters most, go with Santo Domingo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.