Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,445 in Jaco Beach, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,445 per month in Jaco Beach vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jaco Beach $1,445
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,296 per month in Jaco Beach vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jaco Beach $2,296
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,147 per month in Jaco Beach vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jaco Beach $3,147
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jaco Beach costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jaco Beach sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 ₡5,108

$2.24 ฿75.6

405.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.14 ₡19.5K

$19.00 ฿641

127.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 ₡4,615

$5.55 ฿187

84.14%

Cappuccino

$3.99 ₡1,800

$1.67 ฿56.5

138.92%

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

$2.40 ₡1,085

$0.64 ฿21.55

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡844

$0.31 ฿10.31

503.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$2.36 ฿79.6

35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,955

$3.66 ฿124

18.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡892

$1.95 ฿65.8

1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ₡989

$1.44 ฿48.48

52.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.33 ฿45.04

79.70%

Eggs

$2.60 ₡1,175

$2.28 ฿77.1

14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$16.45 ฿555

-34.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 ₡4,010

$2.78 ฿93.9

219.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 ₡5,468

$9.31 ฿314

30.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 ₡2,234

$2.35 ฿79.4

110.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡749

$0.97 ฿32.80

71.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 ₡2,142

$1.60 ฿53.9

196.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,545

$1.50 ฿50.6

128.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ₡676

$1.28 ฿43.12

17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡641

$1.10 ฿37.19

29.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₡447

$0.71 ฿23.82

39.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡900

$0.49 ฿16.37

306.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.01 ₡2,712

$4.14 ฿140

45.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 ₡6,234

$17.52 ฿591

-21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,192

$1.61 ฿54.5

63.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡986

$2.78 ฿94.0

-21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,125

$1.16 ฿39.06

114.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$0.53 ฿17.80

207.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.53 ₡3,850

$2.42 ฿81.8

252.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.45 ฿48.90

8.28%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

60.93%

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

$42.6K ₡19.2M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

58.20%

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

$79.6 ₡35.9K

$62.2 ฿2,098

27.96%

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

$23.88 ₡10.8K

$12.17 ฿411

96.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$20.12 ฿679

137.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$37.31 ฿1,259

39.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,485

$6.49 ฿219

18.95%

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

$479 ₡216.4K

$736 ฿24.8K

-34.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,442 ₡3.4M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-49.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.50 ₡11.5K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-52.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.4K

$24.64 ฿831

128.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$91.5 ฿3,087

38.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.9K

$71.9 ฿2,428

84.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₡337.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

55.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 ₡237.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

70.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡895.8K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

97.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 ₡496.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

73.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 ₡181.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

-31.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Jaco Beach: 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

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 41.2% $217

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.1% $92

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 63.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 25.4% $17

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 477% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Jaco Beach 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.

Salaries run about 47% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Jaco Beach versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

20:55 8:55 PM

13 h ahead of Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jaco Beach Chiang Mai 16,830 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Jaco Beach
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

Jaco Beach vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach costs about 54% 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 $2,167 per month in Jaco Beach 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 $748 in Jaco Beach.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Jaco Beach 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 39% more in Jaco Beach, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,445 in Jaco Beach and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,445 in Jaco Beach. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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