Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Varas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,122 in Puerto Varas, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Puerto Varas outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Puerto Varas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,122

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,122 per month in Puerto Varas vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Varas $1,122
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,599 per month in Puerto Varas vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Varas $1,599
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,075 per month in Puerto Varas vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Varas $2,075
Chiang Mai $1,999

Puerto Varas costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puerto Varas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Puerto Varas 17% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.02 CLP 11.8K

$2.13 ฿71.6

464.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.05 CLP 39.2K

$18.62 ฿624

115.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 CLP 7,575

$5.60 ฿188

38.21%

Cappuccino

$3.28 CLP 3,212

$1.66 ฿55.8

97.59%

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

$0.99 CLP 967

$0.65 ฿21.69

52.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 CLP 772

$0.30 ฿10.22

163.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 CLP 1,109

$2.02 ฿67.6

-44.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,811

$1.41 ฿47.21

31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,492

$1.39 ฿46.67

9.35%

Eggs

$3.06 CLP 3,000

$2.37 ฿79.4

29.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 CLP 8,291

$16.52 ฿554

-48.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.67 CLP 4,572

$2.67 ฿89.5

74.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.77 CLP 8,587

$9.02 ฿302

-2.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 CLP 1,724

$2.40 ฿80.4

-26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,895

$1.04 ฿34.91

86.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 CLP 2,450

$1.66 ฿55.6

50.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 CLP 1,908

$1.56 ฿52.3

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 CLP 1,503

$1.24 ฿41.50

24.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 CLP 1,172

$1.09 ฿36.44

10.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 CLP 1,255

$0.76 ฿25.54

68.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,056

$0.51 ฿17.24

111.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,079

$4.12 ฿138

25.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.51 CLP 4,415

$17.93 ฿601

-74.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 CLP 1,337

$1.62 ฿54.4

-15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,174

$2.82 ฿94.6

-57.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 CLP 1,068

$0.93 ฿31.33

17.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

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

$249 CLP 243.8K

$62.6 ฿2,098

298.08%

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

$15.86 CLP 15.5K

$11.60 ฿389

36.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.83 CLP 30.2K

$37.88 ฿1,270

-18.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

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

$495 CLP 484.5K

$727 ฿24.4K

-31.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,002 CLP 5.9M

$16.6K ฿555.7K

-63.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.40 CLP 20.0K

$53.5 ฿1,795

-61.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.20 CLP 14.9K

$24.80 ฿832

-38.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 CLP 58.2K

$90.4 ฿3,031

-34.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 CLP 590.5K

$481 ฿16.1K

25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 CLP 398.5K

$310 ฿10.4K

31.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 CLP 776.4K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-25.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 CLP 587.4K

$659 ฿22.1K

-8.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 CLP 516.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

-11.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Puerto Varas: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Varas

–

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Varas

–

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Varas

–

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Varas

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Puerto Varas

–

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Getting Around

Puerto Varas

–

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Varas

–

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Puerto Varas versus $481 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 13% 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 $40 in Puerto Varas versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $207 in Puerto Varas vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Puerto Varas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Puerto Varas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

00:21 12:21 AM

10 h ahead of Puerto Varas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,255

127,240

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,100 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Varas Chiang Mai 17,400 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Puerto Varas costs about 20% 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 $1,684 per month in Puerto Varas 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $603 in Puerto Varas.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Puerto Varas and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Puerto Varas – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,122 in Puerto Varas and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,122 in Puerto Varas. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.