Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ushuaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $960 in Ushuaia, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. The total is higher in Ushuaia despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
Learn more

Ushuaia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $960 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ushuaia $960

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,575 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ushuaia $1,575

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,190 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ushuaia $2,190

Chiang Mai is about 3% cheaper than Ushuaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Ushuaia are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ushuaia 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.44 ARS 16.0K

-78.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$33.71 ARS 51.7K

-43.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.19 ARS 14.1K

-39.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.68 ARS 4,108

-37.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.73 ARS 2,648

-63.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.55 ARS 2,383

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.06 ARS 3,161

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.94 ARS 4,510

24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.26 ARS 1,931

54.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.62 ARS 2,479

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.02 ARS 3,098

-34.16%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.24 ARS 3,440

1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.03 ARS 15.4K

64.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.35 ARS 9,735

-56.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.09 ARS 13.9K

2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.96 ARS 3,004

19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.15 ARS 3,302

-54.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.27 ARS 1,949

25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.60 ARS 3,982

-42.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.14 ARS 1,753

12.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.19 ARS 1,825

-7.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.26 ARS 1,936

-43.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.44 ARS 2,210

-65.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.20 ARS 4,907

29.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.02 ARS 7,706

249.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.04 ARS 3,131

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.05 ARS 4,686

-8.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.77 ARS 1,177

12.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.54 ARS 2,367

-24.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.92 ARS 1,412

-42.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.15 ARS 9,436

-60.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.10 ARS 1,682

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$27.8K ARS 42.6M

-24.24%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$30.3K ARS 46.4M

-11.00%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$66.4 ARS 101.8K

-6.36%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$17.26 ARS 26.5K

-29.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$22.37 ARS 34.3K

-10.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$26.18 ARS 40.2K

42.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.02 ARS 21.5K

-73.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.27 ARS 9,611

3.51%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$222 ARS 340.7K

231.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$2,648 ARS 4.1M

457.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$73.6 ARS 112.9K

-27.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$68.9 ARS 105.7K

-64.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$116 ARS 178.6K

-21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$111 ARS 171.0K

-35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$336 ARS 515.7K

43.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$237 ARS 363.5K

30.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$673 ARS 1.0M

49.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$543 ARS 833.2K

16.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,889 ARS 2.9M

25.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,281 ARS 2.0M

24.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

58.5

-90.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ushuaia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ushuaia

$237 24.7% 23.3% $72

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ushuaia

$230 24% 1.8% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ushuaia

$167 17.4% 53.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ushuaia

$106 11% 12.2% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ushuaia

$173 18% 122% $95

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ushuaia

$9.2 * 1% 85% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ushuaia

$39 4% 23% $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 $336 in Ushuaia. 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 $34 in Ushuaia. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $230 in Ushuaia – so Ushuaia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

02:53 2:53 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

79,538

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.52 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,534 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,719 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.82 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ushuaia 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ushuaia

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 Ushuaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ushuaia costs about 3% 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 $1,440 in Ushuaia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ushuaia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $960 in Ushuaia. That makes Chiang Mai about 3% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $34 in Ushuaia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $960 in Ushuaia. 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 $960 in Ushuaia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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