Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isabela and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,258 in Isabela, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. The total is higher in Isabela despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,258 per month in Isabela vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Isabela $1,258
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,974 per month in Isabela vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Isabela $1,974
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,690 per month in Isabela vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Isabela $2,690
Chiang Mai $1,999

Isabela costs about 34% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Isabela and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Isabela 7% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.01 $19.01

$2.13 ฿71.8

792.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$18.62 ฿626

337.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 $8.95

$5.60 ฿188

59.82%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$1.66 ฿55.9

118.07%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$0.65 ฿21.75

193.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.30 ฿10.25

403.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.32 ฿78.1

30.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.67 ฿123

38.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.02 ฿67.8

-2.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.41 ฿47.34

99.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.39 ฿46.79

-12.95%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$2.37 ฿79.6

24.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$16.52 ฿555

-34.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$2.67 ฿89.8

141.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.50 $13.50

$9.02 ฿303

49.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.40 ฿80.6

82.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.04 ฿35.01

151.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.66 ฿55.8

194.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.56 ฿52.4

201.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.24 ฿41.61

210.48%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.09 ฿36.53

273.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.52 $3.52

$0.76 ฿25.61

363.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$0.51 ฿17.29

221.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$4.12 ฿139

185.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.43 $15.43

$17.93 ฿603

-13.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.62 ฿54.6

84.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.82 ฿94.9

40.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.18 ฿39.56

108.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.17 ฿5.76

805.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.55 $41.55

$1.81 ฿60.9

2195.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.47 ฿49.51

-40.14%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

65.50%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

5.94%

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

$315 $315

$62.6 ฿2,103

403.23%

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

$68.8 $68.8

$11.60 ฿390

493.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$20.30 ฿683

245.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$10.38 $10.38

$6.51 ฿219

59.45%

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

$837 $837

$727 ฿24.4K

15.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-23.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$53.5 ฿1,800

5.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 $61.7

$24.80 ฿834

148.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$90.4 ฿3,039

21.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$72.0 ฿2,420

59.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Isabela: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isabela

$454 36.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 79.2% $359

Groceries & Markets

Isabela

$358 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 33.8% $121

Eating Out

Isabela

$261 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 70.7% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Isabela

$154 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 29.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Isabela

$21 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 145% $30

Getting Around

Isabela

$10 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 476% $48

Accommodation & Living

Isabela

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Isabela versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Isabela

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

20:31 8:31 PM

11 h ahead of Isabela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,000

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Isabela Chiang Mai 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Isabela
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

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

Isabela costs about 34% 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 $1,887 per month in Isabela and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Isabela 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 51% more in Isabela, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,258 in Isabela and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,258 in Isabela. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.