Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liberia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,620 in Liberia, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Liberia
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Liberia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Liberia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,620

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Liberia 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 Liberia and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,620 per month in Liberia vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Liberia $1,620
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,281 per month in Liberia vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Liberia $2,281
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,942 per month in Liberia vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Liberia $2,942
Chiang Mai $1,999

Liberia costs about 73% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Liberia sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.81 ₡4,846

$2.13 ฿71.6

407.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.62 ₡17.3K

$18.62 ฿625

107.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 ₡4,894

$5.60 ฿188

95.00%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₡1,541

$1.66 ฿55.8

107.23%

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

$2.07 ₡927

$0.65 ฿21.70

218.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₡733

$0.30 ฿10.23

446.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₡1,222

$2.32 ฿77.9

17.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,981

$3.67 ฿123

20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,084

$2.02 ฿67.6

19.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,374

$1.41 ฿47.22

117.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,026

$1.39 ฿46.68

64.75%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,556

$2.37 ฿79.4

46.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.73 ₡3,467

$16.52 ฿554

-53.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 ₡3,587

$2.67 ฿89.6

199.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.54 ₡5,620

$9.02 ฿303

39.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ₡2,271

$2.40 ฿80.4

111.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₡695

$1.04 ฿34.92

49.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,087

$1.66 ฿55.6

46.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,386

$1.56 ฿52.3

98.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,751

$1.24 ฿41.51

215.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$1.09 ฿36.45

130.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡501

$0.76 ฿25.55

47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₡1,007

$0.51 ฿17.24

341.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,214

$4.12 ฿138

19.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 ₡6,810

$17.93 ฿601

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₡1,074

$1.62 ฿54.5

48.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$2.82 ฿94.6

28.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.93 ฿31.34

20.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$52.9 ฿1,774

4.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,085

$1.18 ฿39.47

105.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 ₡718

$0.17 ฿5.75

841.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.88 ₡3,980

$1.81 ฿60.8

390.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.47 ฿49.39

6.12%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$21.0K ฿704.7K

60.99%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$26.5K ฿889.3K

59.49%

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

$93.1 ₡41.7K

$62.6 ฿2,098

48.74%

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

$31.25 ₡14.0K

$11.60 ฿389

169.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.34 ₡18.1K

$20.30 ฿681

98.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.86 ₡21.9K

$37.88 ฿1,271

28.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.71 ₡16.0K

$3.70 ฿124

865.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 ₡3,371

$6.51 ฿218

15.51%

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

$988 ₡442.7K

$727 ฿24.4K

35.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$16.6K ฿555.9K

3.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 ₡29.8K

$53.5 ฿1,796

24.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.42 ₡16.8K

$24.80 ฿832

50.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.7K

$90.4 ฿3,032

42.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.9 ₡41.2K

$72.0 ฿2,414

27.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 ₡356.7K

$481 ฿16.1K

65.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 ₡287.6K

$310 ฿10.4K

107.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 ₡422.1K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-11.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 ₡342.5K

$659 ฿22.1K

16.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 ₡394.9K

$595 ฿20.0K

48.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Liberia: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Liberia

$642 39.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 51.7% $332

Groceries & Markets

Liberia

$336 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 29.6% $100

Eating Out

Liberia

$198 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 61.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liberia

$165 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 42.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Liberia

$146 9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 25.8% $38

Getting Around

Liberia

$70 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 16.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Liberia

$64 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 20.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Liberia versus $481 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 48% higher in Liberia, 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 $39 in Liberia versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Liberia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

07:03 7:03 AM

13 h ahead of Liberia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 9, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 500 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 9, 2026: 1 USD = 33.54 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.37 THB (100 THB = 2.68 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Liberia Chiang Mai 16,710 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Liberia
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

Liberia vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Liberia costs about 73% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,431 per month in Liberia and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $796 in Liberia.

Kindergarten costs $988 per month in Liberia and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Liberia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,620 in Liberia and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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