Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Escazu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,934 in Escazu, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,934

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Escazu vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Escazu $1,934
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,959 per month in Escazu vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Escazu $2,959
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,984 per month in Escazu vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Escazu $3,984
Chiang Mai $1,999

Escazu costs about 107% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Escazu sits 43% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.06 ₡5,425

$2.13 ฿72.0

466.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$18.62 ฿628

232.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 ₡5,290

$5.60 ฿189

110.00%

Cappuccino

$4.49 ₡2,021

$1.66 ฿56.1

170.48%

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

$2.66 ₡1,195

$0.65 ฿21.83

309.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₡860

$0.30 ฿10.29

536.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$2.32 ฿78.4

44.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₡1,953

$3.67 ฿124

18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,101

$2.02 ฿68.0

21.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,389

$1.41 ฿47.51

119.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,124

$1.39 ฿46.96

79.86%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,551

$2.37 ฿79.9

45.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 ₡4,805

$16.52 ฿557

-35.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,623

$2.67 ฿90.1

285.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,360

$9.02 ฿304

56.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ₡2,323

$2.40 ฿80.9

115.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.04 ฿35.13

50.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,453

$1.66 ฿56.0

94.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 ₡1,351

$1.56 ฿52.6

92.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,702

$1.24 ฿41.76

205.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,676

$1.09 ฿36.66

242.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$0.76 ฿25.70

30.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₡755

$0.51 ฿17.35

229.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 ₡2,463

$4.12 ฿139

33.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.92 ₡8,509

$17.93 ฿605

5.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₡754

$1.62 ฿54.8

3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,246

$2.82 ฿95.2

-1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₡472

$0.93 ฿31.53

12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ₡922

$1.18 ฿39.70

73.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 ₡835

$0.17 ฿5.79

994.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 ₡3,638

$1.81 ฿61.1

346.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₡664

$1.47 ฿49.69

0.68%

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

$28.0K ₡12.6M

$21.0K ฿708.9K

33.02%

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

$36.6K ₡16.4M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

37.94%

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

$94.5 ₡42.5K

$62.6 ฿2,111

51.10%

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

$29.94 ₡13.5K

$11.60 ฿392

158.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$20.30 ฿685

188.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 ₡47.3K

$37.88 ฿1,278

177.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.81 ₡4,413

$3.70 ฿125

165.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 ₡3,446

$6.51 ฿220

17.67%

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

$458 ₡206.1K

$727 ฿24.5K

-36.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$16.6K ฿559.2K

3.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.3K

$53.5 ฿1,807

34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$24.80 ฿837

121.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.4K

$90.4 ฿3,050

41.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.6K

$72.0 ฿2,428

84.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 ₡389.3K

$481 ฿16.2K

79.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 ₡381.4K

$310 ฿10.5K

173.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,929 ₡867.3K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

82.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 ₡675.0K

$659 ฿22.2K

127.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,404 ₡631.2K

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-41.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 ₡436.0K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-39.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,792 ₡805.8K

$595 ฿20.1K

201.23%

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 Escazu: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Escazu

$848 43.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 63.5% $538

Groceries & Markets

Escazu

$363 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 34.8% $126

Eating Out

Escazu

$229 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 66.6% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Escazu

$183 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Escazu

$174 9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 37.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Escazu

$121 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 57.8% $70

Getting Around

Escazu

$16 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 278% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $866 in Escazu 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 in Escazu are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Escazu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Escazu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

01:41 1:41 AM

13 h ahead of Escazu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,984

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Escazu Chiang Mai 16,800 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Escazu
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

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

Escazu costs about 107% 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 $2,900 per month in Escazu 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 $866 in Escazu.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Escazu 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 53% more in Escazu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,934 in Escazu and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,934 in Escazu. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Escazu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.