Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Romana and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $627 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$627

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $627 per month in La Romana vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

La Romana $627
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,011 per month in La Romana vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

La Romana $1,011
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,395 per month in La Romana vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

La Romana $1,395
Chiang Mai $1,999

La Romana is about 33% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both La Romana and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – La Romana 54% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.32 DOP 500

$2.13 ฿72.0

290.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.07 DOP 2,466

$18.62 ฿628

120.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 DOP 416

$5.60 ฿189

23.75%

Cappuccino

$1.82 DOP 109

$1.66 ฿56.1

9.64%

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

$0.72 DOP 43.40

$0.65 ฿21.83

10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 DOP 19.20

$0.30 ฿10.29

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 DOP 143

$2.32 ฿78.4

2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 DOP 231

$3.67 ฿124

4.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 DOP 64.3

$2.02 ฿68.0

-47.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 DOP 107

$1.41 ฿47.51

26.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 DOP 91.8

$1.39 ฿46.96

10.07%

Eggs

$1.48 DOP 88.7

$2.37 ฿79.9

-37.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 DOP 382

$16.52 ฿557

-61.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 DOP 208

$2.67 ฿90.1

29.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.75 DOP 285

$9.02 ฿304

-47.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 DOP 225

$2.40 ฿80.9

55.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 DOP 82.8

$1.04 ฿35.13

32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 DOP 200

$1.66 ฿56.0

101.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 DOP 131

$1.56 ฿52.6

39.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 DOP 211

$1.24 ฿41.76

183.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 DOP 177

$1.09 ฿36.66

170.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 DOP 56.2

$0.76 ฿25.70

23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 DOP 95.9

$0.51 ฿17.35

213.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 DOP 282

$4.12 ฿139

13.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.13 DOP 969

$17.93 ฿605

-10.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 DOP 181

$1.62 ฿54.8

85.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 DOP 200

$2.82 ฿95.2

18.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 DOP 145

$1.18 ฿39.70

104.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 DOP 200

$0.17 ฿5.79

1864.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 DOP 82.5

$1.47 ฿49.69

-6.80%

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

$14.5K DOP 872.7K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

-30.85%

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

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

-4.63%

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

$92.3 DOP 5,545

$62.6 ฿2,111

47.57%

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

$9.95 DOP 598

$11.60 ฿392

-14.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.80 DOP 2,330

$20.30 ฿685

91.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 DOP 296

$6.51 ฿220

-24.27%

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

$145 DOP 8,721

$727 ฿24.5K

-80.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,443 DOP 326.9K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-67.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.87 DOP 1,554

$53.5 ฿1,807

-51.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.03 DOP 2,705

$24.80 ฿837

81.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 DOP 3,657

$90.4 ฿3,050

-32.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.0 DOP 3,906

$72.0 ฿2,428

-9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for La Romana: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Romana

–

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Groceries & Markets

La Romana

–

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Clothing & Footwear

La Romana

–

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Romana

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

La Romana

–

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Getting Around

La Romana

–

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sport & Entertainment

La Romana

–

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in La Romana versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in La Romana vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so La Romana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇴 La Romana

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

11:03 11:03 AM

11 h ahead of La Romana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

567,431

127,240

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

La Romana Chiang Mai 15,670 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

La Romana
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

La Romana vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $941 per month in La Romana and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $627 in La Romana and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes La Romana about 33% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in La Romana and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $627 in La Romana to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.