Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotacachi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotacachi: $717 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Cotacachi
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Cotacachi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cotacachi

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$717

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $717 per month in Cotacachi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cotacachi $717
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Cotacachi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cotacachi $1,170
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,623 per month in Cotacachi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cotacachi $1,623
Chiang Mai $1,979

Cotacachi is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cotacachi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cotacachi 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 $3.88

$2.24 ฿75.6

73.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.87 $25.87

$19.00 ฿641

36.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 $4.58

$5.55 ฿187

-17.48%

Cappuccino

$2.21 $2.21

$1.67 ฿56.5

32.34%

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

$1.36 $1.36

$0.64 ฿21.55

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.31 ฿10.31

158.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.36 ฿79.6

-16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$3.66 ฿124

9.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.95 ฿65.8

-43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.44 ฿48.48

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.33 ฿45.04

14.29%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$2.28 ฿77.1

-7.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$16.45 ฿555

-61.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$2.78 ฿93.9

89.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 $7.46

$9.31 ฿314

-19.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.35 ฿79.4

-5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.97 ฿32.80

17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.60 ฿53.9

-17.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.50 ฿50.6

-26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.28 ฿43.12

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.10 ฿37.19

-3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$0.71 ฿23.82

16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.49 ฿16.37

110.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.14 ฿140

7.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$17.52 ฿591

-58.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.61 ฿54.5

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.78 ฿94.0

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 $0.45

$0.87 ฿29.31

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.03 $15.03

$54.1 ฿1,826

-72.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.16 ฿39.06

6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.53 ฿17.80

83.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 $9.89

$2.42 ฿81.8

308.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.45 ฿48.90

-46.90%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

7.71%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

10.92%

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

$29.09 $29.09

$62.2 ฿2,098

-53.21%

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

$12.57 $12.57

$12.17 ฿411

3.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.27 $26.27

$20.12 ฿679

30.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 $30.56

$37.31 ฿1,259

-18.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.16 $10.16

$3.77 ฿127

169.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 $6.52

$6.49 ฿219

0.46%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$736 ฿24.8K

-89.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,952 $2,952

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-80.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.41 $41.41

$53.4 ฿1,801

-22.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.47 $42.47

$24.64 ฿831

72.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$91.5 ฿3,087

3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 $59.2

$71.9 ฿2,428

-17.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$482 ฿16.3K

-45.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 $190

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 $473

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-53.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 $414

$633 ฿21.4K

-34.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$598 $598

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-74.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$517 $517

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-67.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 $433

$590 ฿19.9K

-26.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.57

81.69%

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

Last update for Cotacachi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cotacachi

$190 26.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.6% $119

Groceries & Markets

Cotacachi

$187 26.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 25.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Cotacachi

$107 15%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.3% $1.4

Eating Out

Cotacachi

$98 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 20.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotacachi

$68 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 39.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cotacachi

$44 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.3% $6.7

Getting Around

Cotacachi

$23 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 168% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Cotacachi versus $482 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 36% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Cotacachi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Cotacachi vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Cotacachi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cotacachi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

11:46 11:46 AM

12 h ahead of Cotacachi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,238

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Cotacachi Chiang Mai 17,870 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotacachi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Cotacachi, 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 $1,075 per month in Cotacachi 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 Cotacachi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $264 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $76 per month in Cotacachi and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $717 in Cotacachi and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cotacachi – 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 Cotacachi. 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.