Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tulcán

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcán: $890 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $540 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Tulcán
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Tulcán Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Tulcán

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $890 in Tulcán, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Tulcán $890

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,479 in Tulcán, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Tulcán $1,479

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,067 in Tulcán, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Tulcán $2,067

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Tulcán, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Tulcán are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tulcán 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.46 $5.46

-60.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$55.5 $55.5

-66.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.77 $7.77

-27.93%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.41 $3.41

-51.32%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$1.43 $1.43

-54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.05 $1.05

-71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$3.59 $3.59

-35.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$6.09 $6.09

-39.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.09 $1.09

85.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.60 $1.60

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.57 $1.57

-11.46%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.18 $2.18

8.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$6.34 $6.34

160.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.24 $5.24

-49.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.67 $7.67

17.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.31 $2.31

3.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.24 $1.24

-16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.33 $1.33

24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.08 $1.08

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.20 $1.20

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.07 $1.07

1.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.87 $0.87

-12.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$1.03 $1.03

-50.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.02 $6.02

-31.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.59 $8.59

108.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.52 $1.52

6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.10 $3.10

-9.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.34 $0.34

173.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.51 $1.51

-21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.47 $1.47

-88.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$10.09 $10.09

-82.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$0.87 $0.87

68.97%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$23.5K $23.5K

-10.42%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$30.2K $30.2K

-12.31%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$28.34 $28.34

120.75%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$18.09 $18.09

-35.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$28.93 $28.93

-29.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$29.41 $29.41

28.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$16.25 $16.25

-77.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.41 $6.41

1.56%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$744 $744

-2.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$8,868 $8,868

86.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$70.4 $70.4

-23.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$49.24 $49.24

-49.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$116 $116

-22.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$107 $107

-32.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$418 $418

15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$268 $268

15.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$832 $832

27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$508 $508

29.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

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

10.12

-44.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tulcán: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Tulcán

$268 30.1% 13.6% $42

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Tulcán

$192 21.6% 18.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Tulcán

$155 17.4% 42.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tulcán

$75 8.5% 20.2% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Tulcán

$148 16.6% 93.3% $71

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Tulcán

$10 * 1.1% 82.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Tulcán

$42 4.7% 17% $8.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $418 in Tulcán. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $56 in Tulcán. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $192 in Tulcán – so Tulcán wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇨 Tulcán

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

17:03 5:03 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

82,734

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tulcán 17,810 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tulcán

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 Tulcán: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Tulcán, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,336 in Tulcán. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulcán, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $56 in Tulcán. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $890 in Tulcán, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $890 in Tulcán to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.