Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
Learn more

Surinam Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $626 in Surinam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Surinam $626

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,049 in Surinam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Surinam $1,049

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,472 in Surinam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Surinam $1,472

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Surinam are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Surinam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$5.96 MUR 280

-61.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$38.18 MUR 1,797

-48.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.54 MUR 355

-25.60%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.70 MUR 127

-38.52%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.18 MUR 55.3

-40.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.68 MUR 31.99

-54.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.68 MUR 126

-10.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.62 MUR 218

-19.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.61 MUR 75.6

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.72 MUR 33.80

95.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.10 MUR 51.8

19.09%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.65 MUR 125

-17.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$5.31 MUR 250

213.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$6.18 MUR 291

-55.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.05 MUR 520

-17.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.81 MUR 132

-14.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.66 MUR 125

-61.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.45 MUR 68.3

12.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.98 MUR 140

-49.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.93 MUR 43.58

38.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.96 MUR 45.08

15.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.73 MUR 34.57

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.89 MUR 41.98

-40.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$6.34 MUR 298

-32.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$8.60 MUR 405

108.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.66 MUR 78.3

-4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.38 MUR 112

19.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$4.09 MUR 192

-70.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$3.22 MUR 151

-82.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$20.97 MUR 987

-88.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.39 MUR 65.2

3.60%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-43.91%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

-11.98%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$44.93 MUR 2,115

38.73%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$10.67 MUR 502

13.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$28.60 MUR 1,346

-30.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.39 MUR 301

1.72%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$124 MUR 5,826

540.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

94.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$78.6 MUR 3,702

-31.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$75.1 MUR 3,533

-67.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$120 MUR 5,633

-24.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$78.1 MUR 3,678

-8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Surinam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Surinam

$217 34.8% 7.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Surinam

$158 25.3% 46.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Surinam

$84 13.5% 10.8% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Surinam

$133 21.2% 68.9% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Surinam

$20 * 3.2% 66.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Surinam

$13 * 2% 74.5% $37

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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $38.00 in Surinam. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Surinam – so Surinam wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Surinam

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Surinam 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Surinam, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $938 in Surinam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $38.00 in Surinam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surinam costs $626 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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