Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Terrenas and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $873 per month in Las Terrenas vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Las Terrenas $873
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,839 per month in Las Terrenas vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Las Terrenas $1,839
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,804 per month in Las Terrenas vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Las Terrenas $2,804
Chiang Mai $1,979

Las Terrenas is about 7% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Las Terrenas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Las Terrenas 36% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.14 DOP 493

$2.24 ฿75.6

263.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.74 DOP 2,467

$19.00 ฿641

114.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 DOP 297

$5.55 ฿187

-11.71%

Cappuccino

$1.02 DOP 61.9

$1.67 ฿56.5

-38.92%

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

$0.67 DOP 40.36

$0.64 ฿21.53

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 DOP 24.73

$0.31 ฿10.30

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 151

$2.36 ฿79.5

5.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 DOP 234

$3.66 ฿124

5.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 DOP 62.0

$1.95 ฿65.7

-47.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 DOP 68.1

$1.44 ฿48.45

-21.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 DOP 65.0

$1.33 ฿45.01

-19.55%

Eggs

$1.19 DOP 71.9

$2.28 ฿77.0

-47.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.34 DOP 384

$16.45 ฿555

-61.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 DOP 219

$2.78 ฿93.8

29.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 DOP 288

$9.31 ฿314

-48.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 DOP 132

$2.35 ฿79.4

-7.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 DOP 38.71

$0.97 ฿32.78

-34.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 DOP 133

$1.60 ฿53.9

36.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 130

$1.50 ฿50.6

43.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 DOP 132

$1.28 ฿43.10

69.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 DOP 67.7

$1.10 ฿37.17

1.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 DOP 53.7

$0.71 ฿23.81

25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 DOP 59.6

$0.49 ฿16.36

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 DOP 291

$4.14 ฿140

15.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.03 DOP 425

$17.52 ฿591

-59.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 DOP 138

$1.61 ฿54.5

40.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 DOP 125

$2.78 ฿93.9

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 DOP 150

$1.16 ฿39.03

113.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 DOP 202

$0.53 ฿17.79

528.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 DOP 71.7

$1.45 ฿48.87

-18.62%

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

$19.8K DOP 1.2M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

-6.09%

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

$24.3K DOP 1.5M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-9.81%

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

$49.08 DOP 2,972

$62.2 ฿2,097

-21.06%

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

$10.03 DOP 607

$12.17 ฿410

-17.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.83 DOP 1,200

$20.12 ฿679

-1.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 DOP 299

$6.49 ฿219

-23.88%

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

$98.0 DOP 5,936

$736 ฿24.8K

-86.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 DOP 332.3K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-62.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 DOP 1,636

$53.4 ฿1,800

-49.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 DOP 2,703

$24.64 ฿831

81.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 DOP 3,706

$91.5 ฿3,086

-33.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 DOP 3,975

$71.9 ฿2,426

-8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 DOP 47.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

63.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 DOP 23.6K

$309 ฿10.4K

25.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 DOP 100.8K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

65.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 DOP 99.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

158.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,780 DOP 107.8K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-24.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$393 DOP 23.8K

$590 ฿19.9K

-33.35%

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 Las Terrenas: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Las Terrenas

$389 44.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 20.6% $80

Groceries & Markets

Las Terrenas

$170 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.1% $65

Eating Out

Las Terrenas

$117 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 33.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Las Terrenas

$89 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Terrenas

$79 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 19.7% $16

Getting Around

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 220% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Las Terrenas

$9.9 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 409% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Las Terrenas 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 50% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Las Terrenas versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $170 in Las Terrenas vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Las Terrenas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

08:52 8:52 AM

11 h ahead of Las Terrenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,713

127,240

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.55 DOP (100 DOP = 1.65 USD). 1 EUR = 67.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Las Terrenas Chiang Mai 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Terrenas
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

Las Terrenas vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Las Terrenas, 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 $1,309 per month in Las Terrenas 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 $789 in Las Terrenas.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Las Terrenas 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 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $873 in Las Terrenas 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. Las Terrenas costs $873 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Las Terrenas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.