Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,250 in Portmore, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Portmore vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portmore $1,250
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,081 per month in Portmore vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portmore $2,081
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,912 per month in Portmore vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portmore $2,912
Chiang Mai $1,979

Portmore costs about 34% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Portmore and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Portmore 8% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 JMD 1,598

$2.24 ฿75.6

351.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 JMD 9,975

$19.00 ฿641

232.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 JMD 1,262

$5.55 ฿187

43.96%

Cappuccino

$5.27 JMD 833

$1.67 ฿56.5

215.57%

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

$0.93 JMD 147

$0.64 ฿21.53

45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 JMD 96.6

$0.31 ฿10.30

96.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$2.36 ฿79.5

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 JMD 345

$3.66 ฿124

-40.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.18 JMD 502

$1.95 ฿65.7

63.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 JMD 575

$1.44 ฿48.45

152.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 JMD 163

$1.33 ฿45.01

-22.56%

Eggs

$3.44 JMD 544

$2.28 ฿77.0

50.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 JMD 1,784

$16.45 ฿555

-31.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 JMD 982

$2.78 ฿93.8

123.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.49 JMD 1,499

$9.31 ฿314

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 JMD 929

$2.35 ฿79.4

150.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.94 JMD 622

$0.97 ฿32.78

306.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$1.60 ฿53.9

88.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 JMD 477

$1.50 ฿50.6

101.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 JMD 509

$1.28 ฿43.10

151.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$1.10 ฿37.17

133.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 JMD 245

$0.71 ฿23.81

118.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 JMD 197

$0.49 ฿16.36

155.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 JMD 1,499

$4.14 ฿140

129.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 JMD 1,811

$17.52 ฿591

-34.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 JMD 454

$1.61 ฿54.5

78.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$2.78 ฿93.9

-22.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 JMD 355

$0.87 ฿29.29

158.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 JMD 7,917

$54.1 ฿1,825

-7.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 JMD 145

$1.16 ฿39.03

-20.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 JMD 494

$0.53 ฿17.79

490.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 JMD 1,017

$2.42 ฿81.7

166.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 JMD 200

$1.45 ฿48.87

-13.10%

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

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

110.52%

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

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

21.25%

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

$160 JMD 25.2K

$62.2 ฿2,097

156.88%

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

$28.89 JMD 4,564

$12.17 ฿410

137.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 JMD 8,346

$20.12 ฿679

162.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 JMD 9,273

$37.31 ฿1,259

57.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 JMD 2,129

$6.49 ฿219

107.55%

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

$281 JMD 44.4K

$736 ฿24.8K

-61.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-78.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.28 JMD 3,677

$53.4 ฿1,800

-56.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.19 JMD 4,928

$24.64 ฿831

26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

$91.5 ฿3,086

-15.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

$71.9 ฿2,426

33.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 JMD 49.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

-34.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 JMD 34.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

-29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 JMD 105.3K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-33.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 JMD 95.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

-4.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

223.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

268.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

117.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Portmore: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$337 27%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$241 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.9% $147

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$218 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 41.7% $91

Eating Out

Portmore

$190 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.1% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 6.2% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$86 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 41.3% $35

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 18.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $315 in Portmore 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.

Salaries in Portmore are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Portmore versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

19:14 7:14 PM

12 h ahead of Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portmore Chiang Mai 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Portmore
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

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

Portmore costs about 34% 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 $1,875 per month in Portmore 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 Portmore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $281 per month in Portmore 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 44% more in Portmore, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,250 in Portmore and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,250 in Portmore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Portmore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.