Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Managua and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Managua is 23% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 8.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Managua is 28.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 16.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.86 NIO 179
$2.03 ฿64.2
139.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.04 NIO 1,288
$18.59 ฿588
88.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.05 NIO 259
$7.48 ฿237
-5.75%
Cappuccino
$2.44 NIO 89.8
$2.00 ฿63.2
22.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 NIO 30.65
$0.85 ฿26.81
-2.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 NIO 27.06
$0.35 ฿11.13
111.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.29 NIO 47.25
$2.21 ฿70.0
-41.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 NIO 72.2
$3.76 ฿119
-47.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 NIO 46.55
$1.72 ฿54.4
-26.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.47 NIO 91.0
$1.63 ฿51.7
51.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 NIO 66.1
$1.16 ฿36.66
55.17%
Eggs
$2.26 NIO 83.3
$1.98 ฿62.6
14.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.07 NIO 407
$15.93 ฿504
-30.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 NIO 247
$3.17 ฿100
111.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.92 NIO 291
$10.90 ฿345
-27.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.88 NIO 143
$2.65 ฿83.7
46.42%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 NIO 33.54
$1.22 ฿38.70
-25.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 NIO 65.1
$1.70 ฿53.7
4.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 NIO 84.4
$1.59 ฿50.3
44.03%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 NIO 147
$1.32 ฿41.90
203.79%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 NIO 82.3
$1.17 ฿36.99
91.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 NIO 39.02
$0.68 ฿21.46
55.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 NIO 36.75
$0.56 ฿17.64
78.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.69 NIO 98.9
$4.51 ฿143
-40.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.70 NIO 540
$19.07 ฿604
-22.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 NIO 53.0
$1.77 ฿56.0
-18.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 NIO 79.7
$3.18 ฿101
-31.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.15 NIO 5.61
$0.96 ฿30.47
-84.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.17 NIO 227
$18.90 ฿598
-67.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 NIO 55.6
$1.36 ฿42.98
11.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 NIO 21.27
$1.35 ฿42.80
-57.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.65 NIO 245
$8.03 ฿254
-17.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 NIO 49.89
$1.24 ฿39.34
9.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.0K NIO 846.1K
$21.2K ฿669.8K
8.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K NIO 962.0K
$21.8K ฿688.5K
20.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.6 NIO 3,626
$71.2 ฿2,255
38.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.02 NIO 626
$14.09 ฿446
20.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.90 NIO 1,394
$17.47 ฿553
116.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.08 NIO 1,327
$42.07 ฿1,332
-14.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.26 NIO 561
$6.88 ฿218
121.80%
Cinema Ticket
$8.14 NIO 299
$5.94 ฿188
37.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$125 NIO 4,612
$307 ฿9,728
-59.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,015 NIO 221.2K
$14.8K ฿468.2K
-59.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.0 NIO 2,833
$55.7 ฿1,762
38.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$71.3 NIO 2,622
$26.79 ฿848
166.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 NIO 4,965
$83.2 ฿2,634
62.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 NIO 3,930
$70.1 ฿2,219
52.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$258 NIO 9,493
$427 ฿13.5K
-39.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$189 NIO 6,965
$237 ฿7,504
-20.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$445 NIO 16.4K
$802 ฿25.4K
-44.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$457 NIO 16.8K
$503 ฿15.9K
-9.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,220 NIO 44.8K
$2,061 ฿65.2K
-40.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$645 NIO 23.7K
$1,533 ฿48.5K
-57.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Managua
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$356 NIO 13.1K
$654 ฿20.7K
-45.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.25
5
105.00%

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

Last update for Managua: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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