Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masaya and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $823 per month in Masaya vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Masaya $823
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Masaya vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Masaya $1,283
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Masaya vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Masaya $1,744
Chiang Mai $1,979

Masaya is about 12% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Masaya and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Masaya 40% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 NIO 363

$2.24 ฿75.7

342.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.43 NIO 1,261

$19.00 ฿642

81.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 NIO 283

$5.55 ฿188

39.28%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 93.0

$1.67 ฿56.6

52.10%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.22

$0.64 ฿21.56

42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.84

$0.31 ฿10.32

135.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$2.36 ฿79.6

-35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NIO 83.6

$3.66 ฿124

-37.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 NIO 44.66

$1.95 ฿65.8

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 NIO 87.8

$1.44 ฿48.51

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NIO 65.8

$1.33 ฿45.07

35.34%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.3

$2.28 ฿77.1

4.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 NIO 419

$16.45 ฿556

-30.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 NIO 233

$2.78 ฿94.0

128.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 NIO 281

$9.31 ฿314

-17.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 NIO 145

$2.35 ฿79.5

68.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 NIO 21.03

$0.97 ฿32.82

-41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$1.60 ฿53.9

15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 NIO 92.0

$1.50 ฿50.7

67.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 NIO 143

$1.28 ฿43.15

205.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$1.10 ฿37.22

103.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.98

$0.71 ฿23.84

53.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 NIO 38.67

$0.49 ฿16.38

116.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 103

$4.14 ฿140

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 NIO 544

$17.52 ฿592

-15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.5

$1.61 ฿54.5

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.8

$2.78 ฿94.0

-21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.7

$1.16 ฿39.08

37.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 NIO 58.2

$0.53 ฿17.82

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 NIO 251

$2.42 ฿81.8

183.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 NIO 50.5

$1.45 ฿48.93

-4.83%

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

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

7.89%

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

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-2.03%

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

$154 NIO 5,654

$62.2 ฿2,100

148.29%

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

$19.83 NIO 726

$12.17 ฿411

62.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.97 NIO 1,171

$20.12 ฿680

58.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 NIO 332

$6.49 ฿219

39.60%

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

$240 NIO 8,800

$736 ฿24.9K

-67.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-59.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,184

$53.4 ฿1,802

11.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 NIO 2,369

$24.64 ฿832

162.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,504

$91.5 ฿3,089

34.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,379

$71.9 ฿2,429

104.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

5.57

114.00%

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

Last update for Masaya: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masaya

$260 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masaya

$206 25.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Masaya

$177 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38.8% $69

Eating Out

Masaya

$152 18.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Masaya

$18 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 178% $32

Getting Around

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 543% $52

Accommodation & Living

Masaya

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Masaya

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

06:12 6:12 AM

13 h ahead of Masaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,835

127,240

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Masaya Chiang Mai 16,550 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Masaya
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Masaya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,234 per month in Masaya and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.