Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Plata and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Plata: $808 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Plata
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Puerto Plata Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Plata

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$808

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $808 per month in Puerto Plata vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Plata $808
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,325 per month in Puerto Plata vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Plata $1,325
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,841 per month in Puerto Plata vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Plata $1,841
Chiang Mai $1,903

Puerto Plata is about 13% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Puerto Plata and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Puerto Plata 40% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.54 DOP 340

$2.29 ฿76.5

141.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.63 DOP 1,999

$19.64 ฿656

66.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 DOP 450

$5.61 ฿188

31.02%

Cappuccino

$1.45 DOP 89.0

$1.66 ฿55.6

-12.65%

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

$0.69 DOP 42.34

$0.70 ฿23.40

-1.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 DOP 19.58

$0.31 ฿10.24

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 DOP 117

$2.41 ฿80.4

-20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 DOP 145

$3.71 ฿124

-36.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 73.7

$1.95 ฿65.3

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 DOP 97.1

$1.41 ฿47.03

12.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 DOP 61.8

$1.31 ฿43.62

-22.90%

Eggs

$1.31 DOP 80.4

$2.18 ฿72.9

-39.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.81 DOP 233

$16.65 ฿556

-77.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 DOP 329

$2.76 ฿92.2

94.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.44 DOP 333

$9.11 ฿304

-40.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 DOP 145

$2.39 ฿80.0

-0.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 DOP 50.5

$1.03 ฿34.26

-20.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 DOP 103

$1.63 ฿54.4

2.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.88 DOP 53.7

$1.50 ฿50.0

-41.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 DOP 63.4

$1.29 ฿43.13

-20.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 DOP 72.7

$1.11 ฿37.03

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 DOP 51.2

$0.72 ฿24.08

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 DOP 57.0

$0.53 ฿17.59

75.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 DOP 152

$4.31 ฿144

-42.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.20 DOP 564

$17.95 ฿600

-48.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 DOP 124

$1.58 ฿52.9

28.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 DOP 180

$2.84 ฿95.0

3.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 DOP 57.8

$0.86 ฿28.86

9.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 DOP 200

$1.21 ฿40.29

169.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 DOP 139

$0.57 ฿18.99

296.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 DOP 351

$2.35 ฿78.6

143.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 DOP 77.5

$1.44 ฿47.96

-12.50%

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

$29.4K DOP 1.8M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

41.80%

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

$34.4K DOP 2.1M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

28.20%

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

$41.41 DOP 2,537

$62.3 ฿2,083

-33.56%

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

$22.67 DOP 1,389

$12.11 ฿405

87.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.58 DOP 2,179

$19.94 ฿666

78.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 DOP 295

$6.50 ฿217

-26.00%

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

$250 DOP 15.3K

$793 ฿26.5K

-68.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,310 DOP 447.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-50.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.91 DOP 1,158

$53.7 ฿1,796

-64.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.87 DOP 788

$24.62 ฿823

-47.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 DOP 5,274

$90.9 ฿3,036

-5.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 DOP 7,375

$71.1 ฿2,378

69.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 DOP 26.8K

$455 ฿15.2K

-4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 DOP 18.2K

$298 ฿9,954

-0.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 DOP 50.8K

$908 ฿30.4K

-8.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 DOP 41.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

21.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$331 DOP 20.2K

$591 ฿19.7K

-44.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

5.57

143.45%

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

Last update for Puerto Plata: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Plata

$297 36.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 0.2% $0.5

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Plata

$174 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 35.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Plata

$107 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 0.9% $1

Eating Out

Puerto Plata

$102 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 23.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Plata

$100 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 5.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Puerto Plata

$18 * 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 231% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Plata

$9.6 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 420% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $437 in Puerto Plata versus $455 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 79% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $33.00 in Puerto Plata versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in Puerto Plata vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Puerto Plata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Puerto Plata

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

11 h ahead of Puerto Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Puerto Plata Chiang Mai 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Plata
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

Puerto Plata vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Puerto Plata, 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 $1,213 per month in Puerto Plata and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Plata, 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 $33.00 in Puerto Plata and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Plata, where all-in costs run around $808, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Puerto Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Puerto Plata costs $808 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Puerto Plata. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.