Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad del Este and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Este: $799 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Este
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Ciudad del Este Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ciudad del Este

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$799

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ciudad del Este and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ciudad del Este and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $799 per month in Ciudad del Este vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ciudad del Este $799
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,500 per month in Ciudad del Este vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ciudad del Este $1,500
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,201 per month in Ciudad del Este vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ciudad del Este $2,201
Chiang Mai $1,914

Ciudad del Este is about 15% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ciudad del Este and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ciudad del Este 41% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 ₲34.6K

$2.26 ฿75.4

169.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.70 ₲129.1K

$19.18 ฿641

18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 ₲33.4K

$5.59 ฿187

5.01%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ₲13.1K

$1.72 ฿57.6

34.30%

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

$0.99 ₲5,638

$0.64 ฿21.54

54.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₲3,492

$0.33 ฿11.18

84.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₲5,838

$2.36 ฿78.7

-56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,914

$3.90 ฿130

-55.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 ₲6,405

$2.05 ฿68.6

-44.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ₲8,812

$1.40 ฿46.70

10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ₲7,206

$1.28 ฿42.89

-0.78%

Eggs

$2.21 ₲12.6K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-1.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 ₲52.0K

$16.94 ฿566

-45.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ₲22.1K

$2.74 ฿91.6

41.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.35 ₲47.5K

$9.36 ฿313

-10.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₲11.7K

$2.40 ฿80.3

-14.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ₲7,249

$1.01 ฿33.92

25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ₲5,596

$1.61 ฿53.9

-39.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₲7,231

$1.52 ฿50.7

-16.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ₲5,284

$1.28 ฿42.90

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ₲5,368

$1.11 ฿37.22

-15.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 ₲2,797

$0.72 ฿24.09

-31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₲2,399

$0.52 ฿17.54

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₲7,814

$4.33 ฿145

-68.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.40 ₲30.7K

$17.73 ฿593

-69.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₲4,286

$1.63 ฿54.4

-53.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,881

$2.85 ฿95.3

-38.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₲5,160

$0.85 ฿28.31

7.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 ₲8,801

$1.17 ฿39.18

32.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₲8,923

$0.57 ฿19.00

175.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.48 ₲59.6K

$2.37 ฿79.2

342.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₲6,955

$1.45 ฿48.32

-15.86%

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

$17.5K ₲99.2M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-14.76%

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

$17.3K ₲98.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-34.85%

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

$51.9 ₲295.2K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-16.72%

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

$17.90 ₲101.8K

$12.27 ฿410

45.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.98 ₲107.9K

$19.97 ฿668

-4.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.72 ₲169.0K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-21.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.30 ₲81.3K

$3.76 ฿126

280.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 ₲35.3K

$6.71 ฿224

-7.60%

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

$185 ₲1.1M

$797 ฿26.6K

-76.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,909 ₲10.9M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-87.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 ₲364.6K

$53.3 ฿1,780

20.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.87 ₲192.6K

$25.05 ฿837

35.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 ₲566.4K

$91.6 ฿3,062

8.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.8 ₲323.2K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-22.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₲2.0M

$464 ฿15.5K

-23.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₲1.5M

$305 ฿10.2K

-14.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$744 ₲4.2M

$915 ฿30.6K

-18.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$980 ₲5.6M

$552 ฿18.5K

77.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,923 ₲10.9M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

0.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,420 ₲8.1M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-1.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$610 ₲3.5M

$595 ฿19.9K

2.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.15

5.57

82.23%

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

Last update for Ciudad del Este: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad del Este

$261 32.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 16.8% $44

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad del Este

$171 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 39.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad del Este

$115 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 4.3% $5

Eating Out

Ciudad del Este

$109 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 27.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad del Este

$89 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 6.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad del Este

$42 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 21.9% $9.2

Getting Around

Ciudad del Este

$13 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 371% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $354 in Ciudad del Este versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Ciudad del Este, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ciudad del Este versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $171 in Ciudad del Este vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Ciudad del Este wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Ciudad del Este

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

00:19 12:19 AM

10 h ahead of Ciudad del Este

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

320,782

127,240

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ciudad del Este Chiang Mai 17,200 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad del Este
Chiang Mai

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

Ciudad del Este vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Ciudad del Este, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,198 per month in Ciudad del Este and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ciudad del Este, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ciudad del Este and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ciudad del Este, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Ciudad del Este it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ciudad del Este costs $799 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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