Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portoviejo and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $877 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$877

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $877 per month in Portoviejo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portoviejo $877
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,400 per month in Portoviejo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portoviejo $1,400
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,924 per month in Portoviejo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portoviejo $1,924
Chiang Mai $1,979

Portoviejo is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Portoviejo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Portoviejo 36% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 $4.06

$2.24 ฿75.5

81.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 $51.6

$19.00 ฿640

171.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 $8.95

$5.55 ฿187

61.26%

Cappuccino

$2.93 $2.93

$1.67 ฿56.4

75.45%

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

$0.94 $0.94

$0.64 ฿21.51

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 $0.67

$0.31 ฿10.29

116.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.36 ฿79.5

23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.66 ฿123

13.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.95 ฿65.7

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.44 ฿48.41

40.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.33 ฿44.97

9.02%

Eggs

$2.15 $2.15

$2.28 ฿77.0

-5.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$16.45 ฿554

-57.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.78 ฿93.8

81.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$9.31 ฿314

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.35 ฿79.3

-35.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$0.97 ฿32.75

18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.60 ฿53.8

-38.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.50 ฿50.6

-36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.28 ฿43.06

-4.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.10 ฿37.14

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 $0.89

$0.71 ฿23.79

25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.49 ฿16.34

91.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.14 ฿140

45.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.23 $12.23

$17.52 ฿590

-30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.61 ฿54.4

-6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.78 ฿93.8

-21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.87 ฿29.27

-60.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.16 ฿39.00

130.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.53 ฿17.78

237.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 $12.17

$2.42 ฿81.6

402.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.45 ฿48.82

-39.31%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

9.14%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

14.49%

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

$33.95 $33.95

$62.2 ฿2,095

-45.39%

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

$14.67 $14.67

$12.17 ฿410

20.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.33 $26.33

$20.12 ฿678

30.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.57 $31.57

$37.31 ฿1,257

-15.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 $16.27

$3.77 ฿127

331.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 $7.54

$6.49 ฿219

16.18%

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

$375 $375

$736 ฿24.8K

-49.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,671 $5,671

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-61.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 $65.2

$53.4 ฿1,799

22.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 $41.29

$24.64 ฿830

67.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$91.5 ฿3,083

34.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 $92.4

$71.9 ฿2,424

28.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 $415

$482 ฿16.3K

-13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$309 ฿10.4K

-11.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 $914

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-9.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 $430

$633 ฿21.3K

-32.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,019 $1,019

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-56.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$789 $789

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-50.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$331 $331

$590 ฿19.9K

-43.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

5.57

80.43%

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

Last update for Portoviejo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portoviejo

$273 31.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 13% $36

Groceries & Markets

Portoviejo

$201 22.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Portoviejo

$145 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.1% $36

Eating Out

Portoviejo

$124 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 37.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portoviejo

$75 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 26% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Portoviejo

$47 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.8% $3.6

Getting Around

Portoviejo

$13 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 374% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Portoviejo 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 run about 78% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Portoviejo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Portoviejo vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Portoviejo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

12 h ahead of Portoviejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,641

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Portoviejo Chiang Mai 18,040 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Portoviejo
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Portoviejo, 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 $1,316 per month in Portoviejo 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 Portoviejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $415 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Portoviejo and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $877 in Portoviejo and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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