Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tegucigalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,244 in Tegucigalpa, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
Tegucigalpa
🇭🇳 Honduras
$1,244
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,244 in Tegucigalpa, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $906
  • Tegucigalpa $1,244

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,802 in Tegucigalpa, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,385
  • Tegucigalpa $1,802

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,361 in Tegucigalpa, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,864
  • Tegucigalpa $2,361

Chiang Mai is about 27% cheaper than Tegucigalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tegucigalpa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Tegucigalpa 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿71.4
$7.66 HNL 206
-72.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.40 ฿649
$31.92 HNL 857
-39.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.47 ฿183
$7.25 HNL 195
-24.55%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ฿56.4
$2.22 HNL 59.7
-24.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ฿22.10
$1.07 HNL 28.85
-38.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ฿11.52
$1.01 HNL 27.20
-66.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.42 ฿81.0
$1.15 HNL 30.79
110.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿125
$2.92 HNL 78.5
27.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ฿68.9
$1.42 HNL 38.21
45.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿48.78
$1.89 HNL 50.9
-22.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 ฿45.09
$1.28 HNL 34.34
5.47%
Eggs
$2.27 ฿76.0
$1.73 HNL 46.50
31.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.31 ฿546
$6.86 HNL 184
137.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.70 ฿90.3
$5.66 HNL 152
-52.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.20 ฿308
$8.94 HNL 240
2.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.1
$3.52 HNL 94.7
-32.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.66
$1.52 HNL 40.71
-31.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.7
$2.20 HNL 59.1
-27.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 ฿48.37
$2.01 HNL 54.0
-28.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 ฿43.59
$1.92 HNL 51.6
-32.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.29
$2.02 HNL 54.2
-45.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 ฿23.55
$1.06 HNL 28.52
-33.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.99
$0.99 HNL 26.48
-48.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 ฿138
$3.01 HNL 80.9
37.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.78 ฿595
$9.45 HNL 254
88.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.7
$1.53 HNL 41.16
6.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 ฿96.0
$2.06 HNL 55.3
39.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿28.76
$1.10 HNL 29.46
-21.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 ฿1,780
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 ฿40.81
$3.76 HNL 101
-67.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 ฿18.81
$1.99 HNL 53.4
-71.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.31 ฿77.5
$4.79 HNL 129
-51.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ฿50.2
$1.22 HNL 32.81
22.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ฿698.3K
$19.4K HNL 520.0K
7.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿895.0K
$22.0K HNL 590.5K
21.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.3 ฿2,051
$142 HNL 3,826
-57.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.50 ฿419
$21.93 HNL 589
-43.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.36 ฿682
$34.51 HNL 927
-41.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.94 ฿1,270
$37.59 HNL 1,009
0.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿126
$14.64 HNL 393
-74.25%
Cinema Ticket
$6.60 ฿221
$5.69 HNL 153
15.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 ฿25.9K
$227 HNL 6,093
241.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.4K ฿483.2K
$6,731 HNL 180.8K
114.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,835
$52.8 HNL 1,419
3.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.26 ฿846
$49.26 HNL 1,323
-48.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 ฿3,032
$104 HNL 2,788
-12.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.3 ฿2,453
$108 HNL 2,897
-32.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$459 ฿15.4K
$457 HNL 12.3K
0.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 ฿9,835
$463 HNL 12.4K
-36.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$919 ฿30.8K
$1,209 HNL 32.5K
-23.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$747 HNL 20.1K
-26.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,917 ฿64.2K
$2,728 HNL 73.3K
-29.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.4K
$1,575 HNL 42.3K
-8.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Tegucigalpa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$592 ฿19.8K
$610 HNL 16.4K
-2.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11.38
-51.05%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tegucigalpa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$294
Tegucigalpa
$463 57.5% $169
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$236
Tegucigalpa
$223 5.5% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
Tegucigalpa
$141 28.7% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Tegucigalpa
$199 111% $105
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
Tegucigalpa
$130 67.8% $52
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Tegucigalpa
$18 * 70.1% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Tegucigalpa
$49 4.2% $2.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $457 in Tegucigalpa. 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 3% higher in Tegucigalpa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Tegucigalpa. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Chiang Mai vs $223 in Tegucigalpa – so Tegucigalpa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇭🇳 Tegucigalpa
🕒 Local time
18:45 6:45 PM
05:45 5:45 AM
13 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
1,126,534 Capital
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.1 HNL (100 HNL = 3.32 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Tegucigalpa 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Tegucigalpa

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 Tegucigalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Tegucigalpa?
Tegucigalpa costs about 37% 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 Tegucigalpa?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,866 in Tegucigalpa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Tegucigalpa?
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 Tegucigalpa?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $32.00 in Tegucigalpa. 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 Tegucigalpa?
Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Tegucigalpa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chiang Mai or in Tegucigalpa?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Tegucigalpa at $1,244. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tegucigalpa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Tegucigalpa?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,244 in Tegucigalpa. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Tegucigalpa?
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 Tegucigalpa?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tegucigalpa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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