Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Latacunga and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Latacunga: $782 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Latacunga
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Latacunga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Latacunga

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$782

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Latacunga vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Latacunga $782
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,269 per month in Latacunga vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Latacunga $1,269
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,756 per month in Latacunga vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Latacunga $1,756
Chiang Mai $1,914

Latacunga is about 17% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Latacunga and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Latacunga 42% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.55 $2.55

$2.26 ฿75.6

12.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.41 $28.41

$19.18 ฿643

48.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$5.59 ฿187

61.54%

Cappuccino

$2.79 $2.79

$1.72 ฿57.8

62.21%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$0.64 ฿21.60

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.33 ฿11.21

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.36 ฿79.0

29.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 $4.28

$3.90 ฿131

9.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.05 ฿68.8

-42.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.40 ฿46.83

43.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.28 ฿43.01

-23.44%

Eggs

$1.75 $1.75

$2.25 ฿75.5

-22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$16.94 ฿568

-71.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.74 ฿91.9

85.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$9.36 ฿314

0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.40 ฿80.5

-37.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.01 ฿34.01

16.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.61 ฿54.0

-36.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.52 ฿50.9

-36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.28 ฿43.02

-19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.11 ฿37.32

-18.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.72 ฿24.16

-27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.52 ฿17.58

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.33 ฿145

36.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.09 $10.09

$17.73 ฿594

-43.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.63 ฿54.6

-10.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.85 ฿95.6

-22.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.85 ฿28.39

-56.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.94 $16.94

$53.9 ฿1,806

-68.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.17 ฿39.28

12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.57 ฿19.05

212.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.05 $12.05

$2.37 ฿79.4

408.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 $0.66

$1.45 ฿48.45

-54.48%

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

$20.7K $20.7K

$20.5K ฿686.1K

1.13%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$26.5K ฿888.5K

17.88%

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

$39.72 $39.72

$62.3 ฿2,089

-36.27%

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

$14.95 $14.95

$12.27 ฿411

21.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.59 $26.59

$19.97 ฿669

33.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.47 $27.47

$37.91 ฿1,271

-27.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.83 $17.83

$3.76 ฿126

374.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 $7.57

$6.71 ฿225

12.82%

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

$378 $378

$797 ฿26.7K

-52.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,776 $5,776

$14.8K ฿497.0K

-61.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$53.3 ฿1,785

21.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.29 $40.29

$25.05 ฿839

60.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$91.6 ฿3,070

37.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 $91.6

$73.5 ฿2,462

24.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 $295

$464 ฿15.6K

-36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 $188

$305 ฿10.2K

-38.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 $723

$915 ฿30.7K

-21.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 $407

$552 ฿18.5K

-26.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,068 $1,068

$1,912 ฿64.1K

-44.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 $739

$1,438 ฿48.2K

-48.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Latacunga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Latacunga

$188 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 61.8% $116

Groceries & Markets

Latacunga

$186 23.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 28.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Latacunga

$145 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 24.6% $36

Eating Out

Latacunga

$110 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 28.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Latacunga

$81 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 16.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Latacunga

$43 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 20.5% $8.7

Getting Around

Latacunga

$29 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 114% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $295 in Latacunga versus $464 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 $28.00 in Latacunga versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Latacunga vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Latacunga wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Latacunga

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

01:35 1:35 AM

12 h ahead of Latacunga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,127

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.51 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.53 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Latacunga Chiang Mai 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Latacunga
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Latacunga, 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 $1,173 per month in Latacunga and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Latacunga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $378 per month in Latacunga and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Latacunga, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Latacunga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Latacunga costs $782 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Latacunga. 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.