Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Galapagos Islands and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in the Galapagos Islands: $884 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $620 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in the Galapagos Islands
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Galapagos Islands Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Galapagos Islands

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$884

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $884 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $884
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,336 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $1,336
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,789 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $1,789
Chiang Mai $1,979

Galapagos Islands is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Galapagos Islands and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Galapagos Islands 35% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.54 $3.54

$2.24 ฿75.5

58.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.52 $27.52

$19.00 ฿640

44.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 $7.27

$5.55 ฿187

30.99%

Cappuccino

$2.50 $2.50

$1.67 ฿56.4

49.70%

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

$0.85 $0.85

$0.64 ฿21.51

32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 $0.66

$0.31 ฿10.29

112.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.36 ฿79.5

-13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.66 ฿123

-3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.95 ฿65.7

-44.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.44 ฿48.41

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.33 ฿44.97

18.05%

Eggs

$2.17 $2.17

$2.28 ฿77.0

-4.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$16.45 ฿554

-67.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$2.78 ฿93.8

99.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$9.31 ฿314

-33.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.35 ฿79.3

-14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$0.97 ฿32.75

19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.60 ฿53.8

-32.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.50 ฿50.6

-28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.28 ฿43.06

13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.10 ฿37.14

-6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 $0.51

$0.71 ฿23.79

-28.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.49 ฿16.34

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 $5.86

$4.14 ฿140

41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 $9.92

$17.52 ฿590

-43.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.61 ฿54.4

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.78 ฿93.8

-8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.87 ฿29.27

-57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.14 $24.14

$54.1 ฿1,823

-55.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.16 ฿39.00

27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.53 ฿17.78

90.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 $9.92

$2.42 ฿81.6

309.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 $0.66

$1.45 ฿48.82

-54.48%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

20.09%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

5.37%

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

$39.48 $39.48

$62.2 ฿2,095

-36.50%

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

$13.57 $13.57

$12.17 ฿410

11.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 $31.19

$20.12 ฿678

55.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.46 $29.46

$37.31 ฿1,257

-21.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 $14.80

$3.77 ฿127

292.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 $7.18

$6.49 ฿219

10.63%

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

$253 $253

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,750 $5,750

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-61.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$53.4 ฿1,799

4.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.02 $43.02

$24.64 ฿830

74.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 $98.0

$91.5 ฿3,083

7.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 $75.9

$71.9 ฿2,424

5.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 $340

$482 ฿16.3K

-29.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 $314

$309 ฿10.4K

1.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 $633

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-37.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$633 ฿21.3K

-21.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,218 $1,218

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-48.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 $998

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-37.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for the Galapagos Islands: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galapagos Islands

$314 35.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 1.5% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Galapagos Islands

$184 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Galapagos Islands

$123 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.4% $14

Eating Out

Galapagos Islands

$103 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 24.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galapagos Islands

$84 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Galapagos Islands

$44 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.7% $6.5

Getting Around

Galapagos Islands

$32 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 90.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in the Galapagos Islands 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 $28 in the Galapagos Islands versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $184 in the Galapagos Islands vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Galapagos Islands wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Galapagos Islands

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

13:30 1:30 PM

13 h ahead of the Galapagos Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,000

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Galapagos Islands Chiang Mai 17,750 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Galapagos Islands
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

Galapagos Islands vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than the Galapagos Islands, 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 $1,326 per month in the Galapagos Islands 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 the Galapagos Islands, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $253 per month in the Galapagos Islands and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $884 in the Galapagos Islands and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward the Galapagos Islands – 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.