Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tunapuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $991 in Tunapuna, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. The total is higher in Tunapuna despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Tunapuna
Learn more

Tunapuna Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Tunapuna

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$991

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $991 in Tunapuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Tunapuna $991

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,746 in Tunapuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Tunapuna $1,746

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,502 in Tunapuna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Tunapuna $2,502

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Tunapuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tunapuna are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tunapuna 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.21 TTD 68.5

-78.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$75.2 TTD 504

-74.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.05 TTD 54.0

-31.06%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.81 TTD 25.57

-56.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.99 TTD 6.64

-35.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.71 TTD 4.77

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.81 TTD 12.16

30.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.91 TTD 19.55

25.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.09 TTD 14.03

-6.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.25 TTD 15.09

-36.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.87 TTD 19.29

-53.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.73 TTD 25.01

-38.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.47 TTD 43.44

154.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.05 TTD 67.4

-72.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.02 TTD 60.5

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.46 TTD 36.65

-56.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.54 TTD 17.05

-61.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.65 TTD 24.50

-56.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.17 TTD 27.96

-64.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.77 TTD 5.15

66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.71 TTD 4.79

54.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.47 TTD 9.84

-51.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.15 TTD 7.72

-57.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.30 TTD 35.59

-21.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$18.99 TTD 127

-7.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.54 TTD 10.32

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.98 TTD 20.00

-6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.86 TTD 5.78

34.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.90 TTD 6.05

-41.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$14.81 TTD 99.4

-83.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.11 TTD 7.45

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$37.5K TTD 251.4K

-43.80%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$41.3K TTD 277.4K

-34.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$43.39 TTD 291

43.28%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$41.96 TTD 282

-71.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$45.57 TTD 306

-55.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.66 TTD 58.1

-25.06%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$402 TTD 2,699

83.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.9K TTD 72.8K

36.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$54.0 TTD 362

-1.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$36.71 TTD 246

-32.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$88.0 TTD 590

3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$59.5 TTD 399

20.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$282 TTD 1,894

70.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$237 TTD 1,592

30.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$675 TTD 4,530

48.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$591 TTD 3,963

7.25%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tunapuna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Tunapuna

$237 24% 23.2% $72

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Tunapuna

$320 32.2% 36.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Tunapuna

$107 10.8% 1.3% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tunapuna

$131 13.2% 38.6% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Tunapuna

$173 17.5% 123% $96

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tunapuna

$5.4 * 0.5% 91.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tunapuna

$17 * 1.8% 65.6% $33

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 $282 in Tunapuna. 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 $75 in Tunapuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $320 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇹 Tunapuna

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

09:52 9:52 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,758

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 TTD (1 TTD = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tunapuna 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tunapuna

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 Tunapuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tunapuna costs about 6% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,486 in Tunapuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tunapuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $75 in Tunapuna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Tunapuna, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $991 in Tunapuna. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $991 in Tunapuna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.