Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Varadero Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Varadero

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 30.2% cheaper than Varadero without rent, and 46.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 30.3% cheaper than Varadero without rent, and 24.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.2
$5.67 CUP 136
-64.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿588
$48.05 CUP 1,153
-61.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿237
$8.94 CUP 215
-16.33%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.2
$1.02 CUP 24.43
96.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.81
$1.93 CUP 46.35
-55.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.13
$0.97 CUP 23.29
-63.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.0
$3.80 CUP 91.2
-41.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿119
$2.51 CUP 60.2
49.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.4
$3.09 CUP 74.1
-44.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.7
$1.31 CUP 31.51
24.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.66
$1.45 CUP 34.70
-20.00%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.6
$2.31 CUP 55.5
-14.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿504
$6.15 CUP 147
159.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿100
$4.95 CUP 119
-35.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿345
$11.88 CUP 285
-8.25%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.7
$5.08 CUP 122
-47.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.70
$0.54 CUP 12.92
125.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.7
$0.99 CUP 23.74
71.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.3
$1.08 CUP 25.92
47.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿41.90
$0.90 CUP 21.56
46.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿36.99
$5.59 CUP 134
-79.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.46
$0.36 CUP 8.54
88.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.64
$0.55 CUP 13.17
1.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿143
$3.72 CUP 89.3
21.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿604
$5.43 CUP 130
251.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.0
$0.86 CUP 20.69
105.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿101
$0.76 CUP 18.35
318.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.47
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿598
$19.80 CUP 475
-4.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿42.98
$1.94 CUP 46.63
-29.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.80
$0.98 CUP 23.63
37.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿254
$20.04 CUP 481
-59.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.34
$1.33 CUP 31.89
-6.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿669.8K
$70.1K CUP 1.7M
-69.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿688.5K
$79.9K CUP 1.9M
-72.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,255
$39.20 CUP 941
81.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿446
$40.71 CUP 977
-65.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿553
$216 CUP 5,195
-91.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,332
$40.25 CUP 966
4.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿218
$15.12 CUP 363
-54.50%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿188
$0.98 CUP 23.46
506.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,728
$88.5 CUP 2,124
247.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿468.2K
$14.8K CUP 354.3K
0.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,762
$39.83 CUP 956
39.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿848
$30.36 CUP 729
-11.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,634
$73.6 CUP 1,766
13.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,219
$85.3 CUP 2,046
-17.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.5K
$394 CUP 9,445
8.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,504
$806 CUP 19.3K
-70.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.4K
$1,192 CUP 28.6K
-32.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿15.9K
$644 CUP 15.4K
-21.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.2K
$402 CUP 9,652
412.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.5K
$345 CUP 8,279
344.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.7K
$19.20 CUP 461
3304.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
15
-66.67%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Varadero: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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