Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huancayo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $488 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Huancayo
🇵🇪 Peru
$488
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Huancayo vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Huancayo $488
  • Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $825 per month in Huancayo vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Huancayo $825
  • Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,162 per month in Huancayo vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Huancayo $1,162
  • Chiang Mai $1,903

Huancayo is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Huancayo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Huancayo 64% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.27 PEN 7.80
$2.29 ฿76.5
-0.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.56 PEN 119
$19.64 ฿656
75.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.86 PEN 23.54
$5.61 ฿188
22.28%
Cappuccino
$3.29 PEN 11.31
$1.66 ฿55.6
98.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 PEN 3.83
$0.70 ฿23.40
60.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 PEN 2.20
$0.31 ฿10.24
106.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 PEN 8.91
$2.41 ฿80.4
7.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.29 PEN 14.73
$3.71 ฿124
15.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 PEN 3.93
$1.95 ฿65.3
-41.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 PEN 3.60
$1.41 ฿47.03
-25.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 PEN 4.43
$1.31 ฿43.62
-1.53%
Eggs
$2.41 PEN 8.26
$2.18 ฿72.9
10.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.14 PEN 17.64
$16.65 ฿556
-69.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.97 PEN 20.49
$2.76 ฿92.2
116.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.20 PEN 17.87
$9.11 ฿304
-42.92%
Apples (1kg)
$1.41 PEN 4.86
$2.39 ฿80.0
-41.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 PEN 3.53
$1.03 ฿34.26
-
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 PEN 1.90
$1.63 ฿54.4
-66.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 PEN 4.10
$1.50 ฿50.0
-20.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.85 PEN 2.93
$1.29 ฿43.13
-34.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 PEN 3.05
$1.11 ฿37.03
-19.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 PEN 1.96
$0.72 ฿24.08
-20.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 PEN 3.07
$0.53 ฿17.59
67.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.70 PEN 19.57
$4.31 ฿144
32.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.09 PEN 17.47
$17.95 ฿600
-71.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 PEN 6.41
$1.58 ฿52.9
18.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 PEN 10.91
$2.84 ฿95.0
11.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.59 PEN 2.03
$0.86 ฿28.86
-31.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.38 PEN 59.7
$53.3 ฿1,780
-67.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 PEN 6.32
$1.21 ฿40.29
52.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 PEN 6.88
$0.57 ฿18.99
250.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.22 PEN 24.79
$2.35 ฿78.6
207.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 PEN 4.91
$1.44 ฿47.96
-0.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K PEN 74.6K
$20.7K ฿692.8K
4.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K PEN 88.3K
$26.8K ฿895.7K
-4.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$34.52 PEN 119
$62.3 ฿2,083
-44.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.76 PEN 40.39
$12.11 ฿405
-2.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.82 PEN 40.59
$19.94 ฿666
-40.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.07 ฿1,239
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.78 ฿126
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.30 PEN 25.07
$6.50 ฿217
12.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 PEN 624
$793 ฿26.5K
-77.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K PEN 44.3K
$14.8K ฿494.9K
-12.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 PEN 185
$53.7 ฿1,796
0.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.51 PEN 122
$24.62 ฿823
44.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.3 PEN 293
$90.9 ฿3,036
-6.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.1 PEN 275
$71.1 ฿2,378
12.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$324 PEN 1,112
$455 ฿15.2K
-28.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$298 ฿9,954
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$908 ฿30.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$554 ฿18.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,931 ฿64.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,445 ฿48.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Huancayo
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$591 ฿19.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
5.57
60.50%

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

Last update for Huancayo: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Huancayo
$162
Chiang Mai
$235 45.2% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Huancayo
$115
Chiang Mai
$108 5.6% $6.5
Eating Out
Huancayo
$107
Chiang Mai
$79 26.4% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Huancayo
$58
Chiang Mai
$94 62.4% $36
Getting Around
Huancayo
$32
Chiang Mai
$61 92.3% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Huancayo
$15 *
Chiang Mai
$50 243% $35
Accommodation & Living
Huancayo
- *
Chiang Mai
$298

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $324 in Huancayo versus $455 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 $35.00 in Huancayo versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $162 in Huancayo vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Huancayo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Huancayo
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
07:25 7:25 AM
19:25 7:25 PM
12 h ahead of Huancayo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
27,552
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Huancayo Chiang Mai 19,040 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Huancayo
  • 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
Huancayo vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Huancayo or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Huancayo, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Huancayo and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Huancayo and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Huancayo or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Huancayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Huancayo and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Huancayo and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Huancayo or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 45% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Huancayo or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Huancayo, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Huancayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Huancayo or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Huancayo costs $488 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Huancayo compared to Chiang Mai?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Huancayo or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Huancayo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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