Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Desamparados and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,697 in Desamparados, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,697

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,697 per month in Desamparados vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Desamparados $1,697
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,731 per month in Desamparados vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Desamparados $2,731
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,765 per month in Desamparados vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Desamparados $3,765
Chiang Mai $1,979

Desamparados costs about 81% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Desamparados sits 25% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 ₡5,489

$2.24 ฿75.5

442.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.7 ₡24.3K

$19.00 ฿640

182.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 ₡4,990

$5.55 ฿187

99.10%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ₡1,710

$1.67 ฿56.4

126.95%

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

$2.79 ₡1,259

$0.64 ฿21.51

335.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₡768

$0.31 ฿10.29

448.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 ₡1,269

$2.36 ฿79.5

19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 ₡1,771

$3.66 ฿123

7.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ₡1,003

$1.95 ฿65.7

13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 ₡1,270

$1.44 ฿48.41

95.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,101

$1.33 ฿44.97

83.46%

Eggs

$3.60 ₡1,624

$2.28 ฿77.0

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 ₡4,636

$16.45 ฿554

-37.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 ₡4,505

$2.78 ฿93.8

258.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ₡5,969

$9.31 ฿314

42.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,280

$2.35 ฿79.3

114.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡703

$0.97 ฿32.75

60.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,590

$1.60 ฿53.8

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,395

$1.50 ฿50.6

106.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 ₡1,274

$1.28 ฿43.06

120.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 ₡1,304

$1.10 ฿37.14

162.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.71 ฿23.79

59.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,190

$0.49 ฿16.34

438.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,611

$4.14 ฿140

39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.33 ₡8,273

$17.52 ฿590

4.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,156

$1.61 ฿54.4

59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₡1,352

$2.78 ฿93.8

7.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡583

$0.87 ฿29.27

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡986

$1.16 ฿39.00

87.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 ₡822

$0.53 ฿17.78

243.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₡4,033

$2.42 ฿81.6

269.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.45 ฿48.82

4.83%

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

$33.6K ₡15.2M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

59.64%

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

$36.6K ₡16.5M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

35.67%

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

$83.8 ₡37.8K

$62.2 ฿2,095

34.81%

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

$26.77 ₡12.1K

$12.17 ฿410

119.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.8 ₡30.2K

$20.12 ฿678

232.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 ₡28.5K

$37.31 ฿1,257

69.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 ₡3,273

$6.49 ฿219

11.71%

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

$846 ₡382.0K

$736 ฿24.8K

14.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

16.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 ₡34.5K

$53.4 ฿1,799

43.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$24.64 ฿830

135.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.6K

$91.5 ฿3,083

32.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 ₡63.5K

$71.9 ฿2,424

95.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 ₡372.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

70.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ₡301.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

115.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 ₡772.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

70.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 ₡654.1K

$633 ฿21.3K

128.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Desamparados: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Desamparados

$667 39.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 53.7% $358

Groceries & Markets

Desamparados

$365 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.8% $130

Eating Out

Desamparados

$216 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Desamparados

$178 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 39.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Desamparados

$177 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 46.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Desamparados

$78 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.2% $27

Getting Around

Desamparados

$16 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 273% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $824 in Desamparados 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Desamparados versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

16:00 4:00 PM

13 h ahead of Desamparados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Desamparados Chiang Mai 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Desamparados
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

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

Desamparados costs about 81% 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 $2,546 per month in Desamparados 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 $482 there versus $824 in Desamparados.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Desamparados and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Desamparados, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,697 in Desamparados and $936 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.