Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fajardo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,241 in Fajardo, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. The total is higher in Fajardo despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,241 per month in Fajardo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fajardo $1,241
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,954 per month in Fajardo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fajardo $1,954
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,667 per month in Fajardo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fajardo $2,667
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fajardo costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fajardo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Fajardo 9% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 $9.80

$2.24 ฿75.6

337.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 $82.1

$19.00 ฿641

332.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.44 $9.44

$5.55 ฿187

70.09%

Cappuccino

$3.66 $3.66

$1.67 ฿56.5

119.16%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$0.64 ฿21.54

201.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.31 ฿10.31

387.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.36 ฿79.5

25.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.66 ฿124

39.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.95 ฿65.7

8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.44 ฿48.46

156.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.33 ฿45.03

84.21%

Eggs

$7.46 $7.46

$2.28 ฿77.1

227.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$16.45 ฿555

-24.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$2.78 ฿93.9

239.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$9.31 ฿314

42.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.35 ฿79.4

116.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.97 ฿32.79

165.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.60 ฿53.9

196.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.50 ฿50.6

213.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.28 ฿43.11

189.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.10 ฿37.18

255.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.40 $3.40

$0.71 ฿23.82

378.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$0.49 ฿16.36

228.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.33 $11.33

$4.14 ฿140

173.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$17.52 ฿591

-11.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.61 ฿54.5

91.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.78 ฿93.9

45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.16 ฿39.04

112.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.53 ฿17.80

186.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 $41.58

$2.42 ฿81.7

1618.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.45 ฿48.88

-14.48%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

64.27%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

5.02%

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

$316 $316

$62.2 ฿2,098

408.53%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$12.17 ฿411

479.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 $70.0

$20.12 ฿679

248.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 $10.47

$6.49 ฿219

61.33%

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

$835 $835

$736 ฿24.8K

13.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-14.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$53.4 ฿1,801

4.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 $61.8

$24.64 ฿831

150.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$91.5 ฿3,087

16.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$71.9 ฿2,427

59.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 $1,007

$482 ฿16.3K

108.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

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 %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fajardo

$457 36.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 79.3% $362

Groceries & Markets

Fajardo

$412 33.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.1% $177

Eating Out

Fajardo

$189 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.1% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Fajardo

$152 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 140% $29

Getting Around

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 511% $51

Accommodation & Living

Fajardo

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,007 in Fajardo 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 $82 in Fajardo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

11:06 11:06 AM

11 h ahead of Fajardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,647

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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Fajardo Chiang Mai 15,560 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Fajardo
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

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

Fajardo costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,862 per month in Fajardo 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 $1,007 in Fajardo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Fajardo 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 76% more in Fajardo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,241 in Fajardo 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.