Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $857 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$857

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $857 per month in Esmeraldas vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Esmeraldas $857
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Esmeraldas vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Esmeraldas $1,421
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,985 per month in Esmeraldas vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Esmeraldas $1,985
Chiang Mai $1,999

Esmeraldas is about 8% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Esmeraldas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Esmeraldas 37% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 $2.92

$2.13 ฿72.0

37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$18.62 ฿628

194.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.89 $3.89

$5.60 ฿189

-30.54%

Cappuccino

$3.44 $3.44

$1.66 ฿56.1

107.23%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$0.65 ฿21.82

-24.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

$0.30 ฿10.29

70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.32 ฿78.3

55.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.67 ฿124

67.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.02 ฿68.0

-51.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.41 ฿47.49

12.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.39 ฿46.94

8.63%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.37 ฿79.9

-8.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$16.52 ฿557

-60.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.67 ฿90.1

105.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$9.02 ฿304

-12.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.40 ฿80.9

-4.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.04 ฿35.12

17.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.66 ฿56.0

-20.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.56 ฿52.6

-26.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.24 ฿41.75

1.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.09 ฿36.65

-1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.76 ฿25.70

-35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.51 ฿17.34

101.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.12 ฿139

44.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 $8.29

$17.93 ฿605

-53.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.62 ฿54.8

-6.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.82 ฿95.2

9.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.93 ฿31.52

-63.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.18 ฿39.69

25.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.17 ฿5.78

623.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.12 $10.12

$1.81 ฿61.1

459.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.47 ฿49.67

-42.18%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

10.86%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

11.23%

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

$28.90 $28.90

$62.6 ฿2,110

-53.80%

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

$18.12 $18.12

$11.60 ฿391

56.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.69 $28.69

$20.30 ฿685

41.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 $30.26

$37.88 ฿1,278

-20.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.45 $16.45

$3.70 ฿125

344.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 $6.47

$6.51 ฿220

-0.61%

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

$757 $757

$727 ฿24.5K

4.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,921 $8,921

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-46.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$53.5 ฿1,806

30.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$24.80 ฿836

104.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$90.4 ฿3,049

27.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$72.0 ฿2,428

47.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 $420

$481 ฿16.2K

-12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$310 ฿10.5K

-11.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 $811

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-23.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 $505

$659 ฿22.2K

-23.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$442 $442

$595 ฿20.1K

-25.71%

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 Esmeraldas: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$274 31.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 13.2% $36

Groceries & Markets

Esmeraldas

$191 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 23.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 18%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 29.6% $46

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$111 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 30.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$76 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 24.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$43 5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 17.8% $7.7

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$9 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 553% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Esmeraldas 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 35% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Esmeraldas versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $191 in Esmeraldas vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Esmeraldas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

09:42 9:42 AM

12 h ahead of Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Esmeraldas Chiang Mai 17,810 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Esmeraldas
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 9% more than Esmeraldas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,286 per month in Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Esmeraldas 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 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $857 in Esmeraldas to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Esmeraldas. 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.