Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sucre

For one person, living is cheaper in Sucre: $646 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Sucre
Learn more

Sucre Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sucre

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sucre

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $646 in Sucre, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sucre $646

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $971 in Sucre, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sucre $971

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,296 in Sucre, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sucre $1,296

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Sucre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sucre are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sucre 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.46 BOB 17.59

53.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$15.30 BOB 185

24.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.27 BOB 39.49

69.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.69 BOB 20.38

-1.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.81 BOB 9.82

-20.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.50 BOB 6.03

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.08 BOB 25.15

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.09 BOB 25.25

75.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.81 BOB 9.82

140.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.28 BOB 15.42

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.97 BOB 11.67

37.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.25 BOB 15.12

82.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.92 BOB 47.27

319.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.43 BOB 29.32

14.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.24 BOB 51.2

119.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.78 BOB 21.47

32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.86 BOB 10.38

12.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.73 BOB 8.79

119.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.77 BOB 33.48

-45.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.42 BOB 5.03

204.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.69 BOB 8.27

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.28 BOB 3.36

153.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.80 BOB 9.69

-38.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.07 BOB 12.89

286.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.39 BOB 113

86.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.32 BOB 15.96

21.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.18 BOB 2.12

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.53 BOB 6.44

118.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.40 BOB 4.82

32.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.71 BOB 8.56

104.23%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$14.18 BOB 171

338.43%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.47 BOB 175

-15.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$20.94 BOB 253

-3.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.59 BOB 333

35.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.30 BOB 63.9

22.45%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$99.5 BOB 1,201

639.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$36.32 BOB 438

46.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$71.8 BOB 867

27.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$64.5 BOB 778

11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$456 BOB 5,500

5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$280 BOB 3,378

10.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$763 BOB 9,212

31.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$482 BOB 5,822

31.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$313 BOB 3,779

88.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sucre: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sucre

$280 43.3% 9.4% $29

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sucre

$136 * 21.1% 42% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sucre

$78 * 12% 28.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sucre

$50 7.7% 47.5% $45

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sucre

$62 9.5% 20.6% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sucre

$3.2 * 0.5% 94.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sucre

$38 5.9% 24.1% $12

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 $456 in Sucre. 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 88% 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 $15 in Sucre. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $136 – making Sucre the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇴 Sucre

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

05:47 5:47 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

238,798 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 BOB = 8.29 USD

100 BOB = 7.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 12.07 BOB (100 BOB = 8.29 USD). 1 EUR = 13.48 BOB (100 BOB = 7.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Sucre 18,360 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sucre

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 Sucre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Sucre, 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 $969 in Sucre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $456 in Sucre. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $15 in Sucre. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sucre, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Sucre it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Sucre. 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.