Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paramaribo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,002 in Paramaribo, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Paramaribo despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Paramaribo
Learn more

Paramaribo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Paramaribo

🇸🇷 Suriname

$1,002

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Paramaribo vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Paramaribo $1,002
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,659 per month in Paramaribo vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Paramaribo $1,659
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,316 per month in Paramaribo vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Paramaribo $2,316
Chiang Mai $1,914

Paramaribo costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Paramaribo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Paramaribo 26% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.42 SRD 506

$2.26 ฿75.4

493.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 SRD 1,989

$19.18 ฿641

175.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 SRD 408

$5.59 ฿187

93.56%

Cappuccino

$2.86 SRD 108

$1.72 ฿57.6

66.28%

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

$1.41 SRD 53.3

$0.64 ฿21.54

120.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 SRD 32.98

$0.33 ฿11.18

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 SRD 100

$2.36 ฿78.7

12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 SRD 146

$3.90 ฿130

-0.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SRD 65.8

$2.05 ฿68.6

-14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 SRD 53.1

$1.40 ฿46.70

0.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SRD 62.3

$1.28 ฿42.89

28.91%

Eggs

$3.12 SRD 118

$2.25 ฿75.3

38.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 SRD 444

$16.94 ฿566

-30.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 SRD 231

$2.74 ฿91.6

123.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 SRD 386

$9.36 ฿313

9.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 SRD 180

$2.40 ฿80.3

99.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 SRD 113

$1.01 ฿33.92

198.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 SRD 138

$1.61 ฿53.9

127.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 SRD 226

$1.52 ฿50.7

295.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 SRD 49.65

$1.28 ฿42.90

3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 SRD 74.9

$1.11 ฿37.22

79.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 SRD 57.7

$0.72 ฿24.09

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SRD 54.1

$0.52 ฿17.54

176.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.66 SRD 213

$4.33 ฿145

30.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 SRD 304

$17.73 ฿593

-54.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 SRD 78.8

$1.63 ฿54.4

28.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 SRD 142

$2.85 ฿95.3

32.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 SRD 29.23

$0.85 ฿28.31

-8.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 SRD 81.0

$1.17 ฿39.18

83.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SRD 58.0

$0.57 ฿19.00

170.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 SRD 271

$2.37 ฿79.2

203.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 SRD 44.76

$1.45 ฿48.32

-17.93%

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

$25.5K SRD 959.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

24.41%

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

$25.3K SRD 952.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-4.59%

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

$37.49 SRD 1,412

$62.3 ฿2,083

-39.85%

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

$25.86 SRD 974

$12.27 ฿410

110.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.23 SRD 1,139

$19.97 ฿668

51.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.51 SRD 509

$37.91 ฿1,267

-64.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 SRD 761

$3.76 ฿126

437.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.15 SRD 194

$6.71 ฿224

-23.25%

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

$63.1 SRD 2,378

$797 ฿26.6K

-92.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,777 SRD 66.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-88.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.60 SRD 1,266

$53.3 ฿1,780

-36.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.88 SRD 787

$25.05 ฿837

-16.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 SRD 2,571

$91.6 ฿3,062

-25.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 SRD 3,873

$73.5 ฿2,455

39.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 SRD 18.1K

$464 ฿15.5K

3.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 SRD 10.0K

$305 ฿10.2K

-12.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 SRD 35.4K

$915 ฿30.6K

2.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 SRD 18.8K

$552 ฿18.5K

-9.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$461 SRD 17.3K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-75.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$396 SRD 14.9K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-72.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$282 SRD 10.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

-52.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

187.25%

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

Last update for Paramaribo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paramaribo

$300 29.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 20.6% $62

Accommodation & Living

Paramaribo

$266 26.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 14.5% $39

Eating Out

Paramaribo

$204 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 61.3% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Paramaribo

$102 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 7.9% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paramaribo

$94 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 1.1% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Paramaribo

$24 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 116% $28

Getting Around

Paramaribo

$13 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 373% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $480 in Paramaribo 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.

Salaries run about 111% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Paramaribo versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇷 Paramaribo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

07:15 7:15 AM

10 h ahead of Paramaribo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,946 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SRD = 2.65 USD

100 SRD = 2.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇷 Surinamese Dollar ($)

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 37.67 SRD (100 SRD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 42.35 SRD (100 SRD = 2.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SRD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Paramaribo Chiang Mai 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Paramaribo
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

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

Paramaribo costs about 7% 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 $1,503 per month in Paramaribo 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Paramaribo and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Paramaribo, 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 $938, than in Paramaribo at $1,002. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paramaribo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,002 in Paramaribo. 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, Paramaribo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.