Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,466 in El Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇸🇻 El Salvador
$1,466
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: El Salvador is 30% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 61.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: El Salvador is 34.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 44.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.68 $6.68
$2.13 ฿71.4
213.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.84 $44.84
$19.40 ฿649
131.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.08 $7.08
$5.47 ฿183
29.43%
Cappuccino
$3.57 $3.57
$1.68 ฿56.4
112.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 $1.14
$0.66 ฿22.10
72.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 $0.92
$0.34 ฿11.52
170.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 $2.03
$2.42 ฿81.0
-16.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 $3.49
$3.73 ฿125
-6.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 $1.84
$2.06 ฿68.9
-10.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 $2.40
$1.46 ฿48.78
64.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.35 ฿45.09
14.81%
Eggs
$2.76 $2.76
$2.27 ฿76.0
21.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.61 $7.61
$16.31 ฿546
-53.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.95 $5.95
$2.70 ฿90.3
120.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.99 $8.99
$9.20 ฿308
-2.28%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 $3.81
$2.39 ฿80.1
59.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 $1.74
$1.04 ฿34.66
67.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.60 ฿53.7
85.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 $2.93
$1.44 ฿48.37
103.47%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.30 ฿43.59
119.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 $2.32
$1.11 ฿37.29
109.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 $0.97
$0.70 ฿23.55
38.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 $0.95
$0.51 ฿16.99
86.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.97 $3.97
$4.13 ฿138
-3.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.90 $11.90
$17.78 ฿595
-33.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 $1.90
$1.63 ฿54.7
16.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.87 ฿96.0
-3.48%
🚌 Getting Around
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 $0.36
$0.86 ฿28.76
-58.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.46 $35.46
$53.2 ฿1,780
-33.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.51 $6.51
$1.22 ฿40.81
433.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.09 $3.09
$0.56 ฿18.81
451.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.04 $20.04
$2.31 ฿77.5
767.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 $1.19
$1.50 ฿50.2
-20.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
21.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K $28.3K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
5.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 $104
$61.3 ฿2,051
70.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.38 $22.38
$12.50 ฿419
79.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.65 $41.65
$20.36 ฿682
104.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.73 $31.73
$37.94 ฿1,270
-16.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.60 $16.60
$3.77 ฿126
340.32%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 $4.96
$6.60 ฿221
-24.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$167 $167
$774 ฿25.9K
-78.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,427 $4,427
$14.4K ฿483.2K
-69.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 $63.2
$54.8 ฿1,835
15.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.16 $49.16
$25.26 ฿846
94.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 $119
$90.6 ฿3,032
31.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$73.3 ฿2,453
40.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$733 $733
$459 ฿15.4K
59.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 $655
$294 ฿9,835
122.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,261 $1,261
$919 ฿30.8K
37.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$881 $881
$552 ฿18.5K
59.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,730 $2,730
$1,917 ฿64.2K
42.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,601 $1,601
$1,445 ฿48.4K
10.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
El Salvador
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$440 $440
$592 ฿19.8K
-25.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.48
5.57
52.24%

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

Last update for El Salvador: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
El Salvador
$655
Chiang Mai
$294 55.1% $361
Groceries & Markets
El Salvador
$262
Chiang Mai
$236 10.1% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador
$168
Chiang Mai
$94 44% $74
Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador
$150
Chiang Mai
$110 27% $41
Eating Out
El Salvador
$143
Chiang Mai
$77 45.9% $66
Getting Around
El Salvador
$59
Chiang Mai
$61 3% $1.8
Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador
$42
Chiang Mai
$51 22.8% $9.5
Good to know
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
00:57 12:57 AM
13:57 1:57 PM
13 h ahead of El Salvador
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,029,976
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • El Salvador Chiang Mai 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • El Salvador
  • 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

El Salvador vs other spots: cost of living compared

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