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

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 36.6% cheaper than Varadero without rent, and 46.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 31.2% cheaper than Varadero without rent, and 23.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 ฿64.4
$5.87 CUP 141
-65.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.23 ฿583
$47.11 CUP 1,131
-61.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 ฿244
$8.79 CUP 211
-12.97%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ฿61.3
$0.97 CUP 23.31
97.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ฿26.90
$1.91 CUP 45.88
-56.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ฿11.39
$0.98 CUP 23.50
-63.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 ฿70.0
$3.64 CUP 87.4
-39.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$2.62 CUP 62.9
44.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿52.4
$2.95 CUP 70.7
-44.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿51.8
$1.31 CUP 31.44
23.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.88
$1.50 CUP 36.06
-23.33%
Eggs
$1.94 ฿62.0
$2.39 CUP 57.4
-18.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 ฿510
$5.99 CUP 144
166.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ฿99.2
$4.94 CUP 119
-37.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 ฿354
$12.17 CUP 292
-9.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 ฿86.5
$4.95 CUP 119
-45.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 ฿37.69
$0.58 CUP 13.88
103.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿54.5
$1.02 CUP 24.45
67.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$1.13 CUP 27.04
42.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 ฿44.53
$0.95 CUP 22.82
46.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.70
$5.50 CUP 132
-79.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿22.76
$0.35 CUP 8.52
102.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿17.60
$0.54 CUP 12.87
1.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.57 ฿146
$3.63 CUP 87.0
25.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.87 ฿603
$5.73 CUP 138
229.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.2
$0.83 CUP 19.89
119.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿103
$0.71 CUP 16.94
352.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ฿28.16
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.89 ฿604
$20.12 CUP 483
-6.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ฿45.17
$1.99 CUP 47.65
-29.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 ฿41.59
$1.02 CUP 24.41
27.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 ฿262
$20.39 CUP 489
-59.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.18
$1.27 CUP 30.40
-3.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿677.0K
$69.1K CUP 1.7M
-69.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ฿713.3K
$78.5K CUP 1.9M
-71.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.9 ฿2,234
$39.55 CUP 949
76.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.07 ฿450
$40.58 CUP 974
-65.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.70 ฿566
$221 CUP 5,300
-91.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.41 ฿1,324
$39.54 CUP 949
4.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ฿214
$15.02 CUP 360
-55.46%
Cinema Ticket
$5.74 ฿184
$1.02 CUP 24.40
462.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$299 ฿9,566
$88.9 CUP 2,133
236.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ฿479.8K
$14.8K CUP 355.7K
1.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,753
$39.78 CUP 955
37.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.35 ฿842
$30.32 CUP 728
-13.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.7 ฿2,706
$75.7 CUP 1,816
11.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 ฿2,229
$85.2 CUP 2,044
-18.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$403 CUP 9,679
5.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ฿7,697
$809 CUP 19.4K
-70.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ฿25.9K
$1,196 CUP 28.7K
-32.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿15.9K
$639 CUP 15.3K
-22.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,022 ฿64.7K
$400 CUP 9,598
405.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,524 ฿48.7K
$351 CUP 8,431
333.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Varadero
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$639 ฿20.4K
$18.99 CUP 456
3265.77%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Varadero: April 11, 2026

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

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