Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port of Spain and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,632 in Port of Spain, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Port of Spain
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Port of Spain Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Port of Spain

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,632

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,632 per month in Port of Spain vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port of Spain $1,632
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,763 per month in Port of Spain vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port of Spain $2,763
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,894 per month in Port of Spain vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port of Spain $3,894
Chiang Mai $1,914

Port of Spain costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Port of Spain sits 21% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.39 TTD 69.9

$2.26 ฿75.4

359.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 TTD 592

$19.18 ฿641

359.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 TTD 61.1

$5.59 ฿187

62.43%

Cappuccino

$3.79 TTD 25.51

$1.72 ฿57.6

120.35%

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

$0.99 TTD 6.67

$0.64 ฿21.54

54.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 TTD 5.15

$0.33 ฿11.18

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 TTD 14.38

$2.36 ฿78.7

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 TTD 24.29

$3.90 ฿130

-7.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.47 TTD 16.62

$2.05 ฿68.6

20.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 TTD 16.53

$1.40 ฿46.70

75.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 TTD 18.92

$1.28 ฿42.89

119.53%

Eggs

$4.46 TTD 30.03

$2.25 ฿75.3

98.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 TTD 44.36

$16.94 ฿566

-61.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 TTD 66.5

$2.74 ฿91.6

260.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.36 TTD 76.4

$9.36 ฿313

21.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 TTD 37.28

$2.40 ฿80.3

130.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 TTD 20.95

$1.01 ฿33.92

207.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 TTD 24.86

$1.61 ฿53.9

129.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 TTD 29.46

$1.52 ฿50.7

188.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 TTD 14.54

$1.28 ฿42.90

68.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 TTD 12.56

$1.11 ฿37.22

68.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 TTD 12.77

$0.72 ฿24.09

163.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 TTD 9.05

$0.52 ฿17.54

159.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 TTD 39.69

$4.33 ฿145

36.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.26 TTD 130

$17.73 ฿593

8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 TTD 14.85

$1.63 ฿54.4

35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 TTD 19.77

$2.85 ฿95.3

3.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 TTD 9.10

$0.85 ฿28.31

58.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 TTD 908

$53.9 ฿1,801

150.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 TTD 7.10

$1.17 ฿39.18

-9.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 TTD 8.49

$0.57 ฿19.00

121.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.48 TTD 97.4

$2.37 ฿79.2

510.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 TTD 7.84

$1.45 ฿48.32

-20.00%

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

$36.7K TTD 246.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

79.15%

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

$41.2K TTD 276.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

55.25%

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

$90.6 TTD 609

$62.3 ฿2,083

45.31%

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

$51.6 TTD 347

$12.27 ฿410

320.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 TTD 382

$19.97 ฿668

184.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 TTD 386

$37.91 ฿1,267

51.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 TTD 87.0

$3.76 ฿126

243.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 TTD 58.4

$6.71 ฿224

29.51%

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

$394 TTD 2,649

$797 ฿26.6K

-50.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-26.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 TTD 366

$53.3 ฿1,780

2.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 TTD 347

$25.05 ฿837

106.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 TTD 987

$91.6 ฿3,062

60.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 TTD 703

$73.5 ฿2,455

42.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 TTD 6,750

$464 ฿15.5K

116.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 TTD 3,465

$305 ฿10.2K

69.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 TTD 14.7K

$915 ฿30.6K

138.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 TTD 8,138

$552 ฿18.5K

119.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,493 TTD 30.2K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

134.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 TTD 13.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

37.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 TTD 5,090

$595 ฿19.9K

27.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

5.57

3.23%

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

Last update for Port of Spain: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port of Spain

$515 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 40.9% $210

Groceries & Markets

Port of Spain

$354 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 32.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port of Spain

$199 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 52.5% $104

Eating Out

Port of Spain

$181 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 56.3% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Port of Spain

$161 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 31.9% $51

Getting Around

Port of Spain

$148 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 58.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Port of Spain

$75 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 31.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,003 in Port of Spain 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 27% higher in Port of Spain, 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 $88.0 in Port of Spain versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 Port of Spain

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

02:00 2:00 AM

11 h ahead of Port of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,074 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 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 TTD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port of Spain Chiang Mai 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Port of Spain
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

Port of Spain vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port of Spain costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $2,448 per month in Port of Spain 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.

Kindergarten costs $394 per month in Port of Spain and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Port of Spain, 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 Port of Spain at $1,632. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port of Spain it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,632 in Port of Spain. 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, Port of Spain makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.