Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montanita and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living costs are similar in Montanita and in Chiang Mai: $893 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$893

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $893 per month in Montanita vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montanita $893
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,344 per month in Montanita vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montanita $1,344
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,796 per month in Montanita vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montanita $1,796
Chiang Mai $1,979

Montanita is about 5% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montanita and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Montanita 34% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.44 $3.44

$2.24 ฿75.7

53.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.67 $27.67

$19.00 ฿642

45.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 $7.30

$5.55 ฿188

31.53%

Cappuccino

$2.40 $2.40

$1.67 ฿56.6

43.71%

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

$0.85 $0.85

$0.64 ฿21.56

32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 $0.63

$0.31 ฿10.32

103.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.36 ฿79.6

-16.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.66 ฿124

-1.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.95 ฿65.8

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.44 ฿48.51

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.33 ฿45.07

12.78%

Eggs

$2.10 $2.10

$2.28 ฿77.1

-7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$16.45 ฿556

-67.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.78 ฿94.0

96.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$9.31 ฿314

-31.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.35 ฿79.5

-10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.97 ฿32.82

25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.60 ฿53.9

-31.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.50 ฿50.7

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.28 ฿43.15

11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.10 ฿37.22

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.71 ฿23.84

-30.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.49 ฿16.38

108.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.14 ฿140

47.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$17.52 ฿592

-43.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.61 ฿54.5

-5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.78 ฿94.0

-8.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.87 ฿29.33

-58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.56 $23.56

$54.1 ฿1,827

-56.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.16 ฿39.08

31.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.53 ฿17.82

92.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 $10.03

$2.42 ฿81.8

314.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.45 ฿48.93

-57.24%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

18.11%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

4.91%

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

$40.55 $40.55

$62.2 ฿2,100

-34.78%

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

$13.96 $13.96

$12.17 ฿411

14.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.87 $30.87

$20.12 ฿680

53.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 $29.86

$37.31 ฿1,260

-19.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.43 $14.43

$3.77 ฿127

282.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 $7.33

$6.49 ฿219

12.94%

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

$256 $256

$736 ฿24.9K

-65.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,690 $5,690

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-61.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$53.4 ฿1,802

3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 $42.86

$24.64 ฿832

73.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$91.5 ฿3,089

10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 $74.8

$71.9 ฿2,429

3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 $336

$482 ฿16.3K

-30.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 $321

$309 ฿10.4K

3.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-38.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 $503

$633 ฿21.4K

-20.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,245 $1,245

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-47.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,013 $1,013

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-36.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿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 Montanita: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montanita

$321 35.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.7% $12

Groceries & Markets

Montanita

$186 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 26.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Montanita

$123 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.8% $15

Eating Out

Montanita

$101 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 23.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montanita

$85 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10.6% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Montanita

$45 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.9% $5.8

Getting Around

Montanita

$32 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 93.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Montanita 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Montanita versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Montanita vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Montanita wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Montanita

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

01:07 1:07 AM

12 h ahead of Montanita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Montanita Chiang Mai 18,130 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Montanita
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Montanita, 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 $1,339 per month in Montanita 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 Montanita, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $256 per month in Montanita and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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.

Families tend to lean toward Montanita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.