Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ventanas

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventanas: $870 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $780 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
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ventanas
Learn more

Ventanas Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Ventanas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $870 in Ventanas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Ventanas $870

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,435 in Ventanas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Ventanas $1,435

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,000 in Ventanas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Ventanas $2,000

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Ventanas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Ventanas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ventanas 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$3.92 $3.92

-45.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$53.4 $53.4

-65.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$8.83 $8.83

-36.58%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.85 $2.85

-41.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.93 $0.93

-30.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.68 $0.68

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.98 $2.98

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.29 $4.29

-14.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.17 $1.17

72.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$2.01 $2.01

-29.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.41 $1.41

-1.42%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.11 $2.11

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$6.81 $6.81

142.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.27 $5.27

-49.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$9.12 $9.12

-1.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.52 $1.52

57.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.19 $1.19

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.03 $1.03

61.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.91 $0.91

71.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.23 $1.23

0.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.99 $0.99

10.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.87 $0.87

-12.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.97 $0.97

-47.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.94 $5.94

-30.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$11.98 $11.98

49.67%

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

$2.21 $2.21

27.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.36 $0.36

158.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$2.73 $2.73

-56.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.76 $1.76

-90.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$11.92 $11.92

-84.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$0.83 $0.83

77.11%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$23.1K $23.1K

-9.07%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$30.5K $30.5K

-13.19%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$34.86 $34.86

79.46%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$15.13 $15.13

-23.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$26.42 $26.42

-23.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$29.40 $29.40

28.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$16.38 $16.38

-77.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.56 $7.56

-13.89%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$376 $376

93.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$5,680 $5,680

191.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$66.4 $66.4

-19.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$40.16 $40.16

-38.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$126 $126

-28.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$93.7 $93.7

-23.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$424 $424

13.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$267 $267

16.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$826 $826

28.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$500 $500

31.61%

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

10.05

-44.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ventanas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Ventanas

$267 30.7% 13.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Ventanas

$200 23% 15.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Ventanas

$147 16.9% 35.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ventanas

$76 8.8% 19.1% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Ventanas

$122 14% 59.3% $45

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Ventanas

$13 * 1.5% 77.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Ventanas

$45 5.1% 12.5% $6.4

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 $424 in Ventanas. 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 $53 in Ventanas. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $200 in Ventanas – so Ventanas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇨 Ventanas

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

17:56 5:56 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

38,168

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ventanas 18,080 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ventanas

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 Ventanas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Ventanas, 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 $1,304 in Ventanas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ventanas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $53 in Ventanas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Ventanas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.