Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Villa Alemana

For one person, living is cheaper in Villa Alemana: $606 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Villa Alemana
Learn more

Villa Alemana Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Villa Alemana

🇨🇱 Chile

$606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Villa Alemana

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $606 in Villa Alemana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Villa Alemana $606

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $996 in Villa Alemana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Villa Alemana $996

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,386 in Villa Alemana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Villa Alemana $1,386

Chiang Mai costs about 54% more than Villa Alemana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Villa Alemana are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Villa Alemana 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.92 CLP 5,785

-62.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$51.3 CLP 50.2K

-62.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.74 CLP 8,539

-36.50%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.30 CLP 1,269

28.46%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.84 CLP 819

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.26 CLP 1,230

-75.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.13 CLP 4,039

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.06 CLP 2,009

77.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.27 CLP 1,238

53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.77 CLP 1,732

-18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.57 CLP 1,537

-15.29%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.78 CLP 3,695

-39.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.34 CLP 11.1K

45.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.60 CLP 4,493

-39.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.73 CLP 10.5K

-13.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.93 CLP 1,882

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.56 CLP 1,521

-37.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.59 CLP 1,549

0.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.74 CLP 1,704

-13.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.05 CLP 1,029

21.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.43 CLP 1,399

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.17 CLP 1,148

-39.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.06 CLP 1,031

-53.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.10 CLP 4,982

-18.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.05 CLP 5,911

189.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.49 CLP 1,452

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.32 CLP 2,267

19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.39 CLP 380

197.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.90 CLP 878

-41.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$11.38 CLP 11.1K

-78.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.53 CLP 1,499

-5.23%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$16.5K CLP 16.2M

27.25%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.4K CLP 24.8M

5.98%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$144 CLP 141.0K

-56.91%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.07 CLP 11.8K

0.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$19.12 CLP 18.7K

5.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.55 CLP 7,375

-14.04%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$449 CLP 438.4K

64.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

34.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$39.72 CLP 38.8K

34.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$20.15 CLP 19.7K

22.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$56.7 CLP 55.4K

61.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$30.26 CLP 29.6K

137.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$357 CLP 348.6K

181.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$431 CLP 421.5K

36.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.39

3.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Villa Alemana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Villa Alemana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Villa Alemana

$223 36.7% 5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Villa Alemana

$66 10.9% 39.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Villa Alemana

$175 28.9% 85.8% $81

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Villa Alemana

$122 20.2% 57.7% $45

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Villa Alemana

$4.9 * 0.8% 92% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Villa Alemana

$15 * 2.5% 70% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 37% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $51 in Villa Alemana. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $223 in Villa Alemana – so Villa Alemana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇱 Villa Alemana

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

125,140

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,088 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Villa Alemana 18,160 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Villa Alemana

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 Villa Alemana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 54% more than Villa Alemana, 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 $910 in Villa Alemana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $51 in Villa Alemana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $606 in Villa Alemana to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Villa Alemana. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.