Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldonado and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,368 in Maldonado, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Maldonado vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maldonado $1,368
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,178 per month in Maldonado vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maldonado $2,178
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,988 per month in Maldonado vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maldonado $2,988
Chiang Mai $1,903

Maldonado costs about 48% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Maldonado sits 1% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 UYU 597

$2.29 ฿76.5

549.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 UYU 2,202

$19.64 ฿656

179.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 UYU 558

$5.61 ฿188

147.95%

Cappuccino

$4.57 UYU 183

$1.66 ฿55.6

175.30%

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

$2.65 UYU 106

$0.70 ฿23.40

278.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 UYU 84.2

$0.31 ฿10.24

577.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 UYU 118

$2.41 ฿80.4

22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 UYU 145

$3.71 ฿124

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.19

$1.95 ฿65.3

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 UYU 109

$1.41 ฿47.03

91.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.1

$1.31 ฿43.62

35.11%

Eggs

$3.98 UYU 160

$2.18 ฿72.9

82.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 UYU 566

$16.65 ฿556

-15.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 UYU 454

$2.76 ฿92.2

309.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 UYU 466

$9.11 ฿304

27.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 UYU 112

$2.39 ฿80.0

16.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 UYU 86.0

$1.03 ฿34.26

107.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.63 ฿54.4

7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 UYU 126

$1.50 ฿50.0

110.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.2

$1.29 ฿43.13

55.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.11 ฿37.03

80.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.4

$0.72 ฿24.08

98.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.3

$0.53 ฿17.59

267.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 UYU 221

$4.31 ฿144

27.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 UYU 326

$17.95 ฿600

-54.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.3

$1.58 ฿52.9

46.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 UYU 109

$2.84 ฿95.0

-4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 UYU 56.8

$0.86 ฿28.86

63.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.89 UYU 1,962

$53.3 ฿1,780

-8.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UYU 136

$1.21 ฿40.29

180.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 UYU 17.53

$0.57 ฿18.99

-22.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.25 UYU 411

$2.35 ฿78.6

336.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 UYU 89.9

$1.44 ฿47.96

55.56%

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

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

28.44%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

37.97%

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

$116 UYU 4,644

$62.3 ฿2,083

85.62%

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

$19.18 UYU 770

$12.11 ฿405

58.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.04 UYU 1,808

$19.94 ฿666

125.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 UYU 1,936

$37.07 ฿1,239

30.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.20 UYU 1,212

$3.78 ฿126

698.94%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 UYU 484

$6.50 ฿217

85.38%

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

$496 UYU 19.9K

$793 ฿26.5K

-37.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-56.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 UYU 3,625

$53.7 ฿1,796

68.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 UYU 1,498

$24.62 ฿823

51.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,014

$90.9 ฿3,036

37.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 UYU 4,729

$71.1 ฿2,378

65.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 UYU 17.1K

$455 ฿15.2K

-6.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 UYU 12.7K

$298 ฿9,954

5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 UYU 36.9K

$908 ฿30.4K

1.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 UYU 24.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

8.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

45.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

6.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

$591 ฿19.7K

71.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maldonado

$317 23.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 25.7% $81

Accommodation & Living

Maldonado

$315 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 5.6% $18

Eating Out

Maldonado

$257 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 69.4% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldonado

$180 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 47.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Maldonado

$167 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 35.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Maldonado

$72 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.8% $22

Getting Around

Maldonado

$60 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Maldonado versus $455 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 72% higher in Maldonado, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Maldonado versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

18:45 6:45 PM

10 h ahead of Maldonado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,592

127,240

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Maldonado Chiang Mai 16,890 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldonado
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

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

Maldonado costs about 48% 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 $2,052 per month in Maldonado and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Maldonado and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Maldonado, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Maldonado at $1,368. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maldonado it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,368 in Maldonado. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maldonado makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.