Cost of Living Comparison Between Puntarenas and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Puntarenas and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Puntarenas is 4.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 49.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Puntarenas is 33.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 48.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.55 ₡3,744

$1.97 ฿62.0

283.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.6 ₡29.6K

$18.68 ฿587

219.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ₡4,429

$7.92 ฿249

12.75%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,892

$2.02 ฿63.7

89.11%

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

$2.06 ₡1,023

$0.84 ฿26.45

145.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡794

$0.35 ฿11.07

357.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₡1,459

$2.22 ฿69.9

32.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ₡2,281

$3.59 ฿113

28.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₡988

$1.67 ฿52.4

19.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 ₡1,379

$1.62 ฿51.1

71.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ₡1,005

$1.20 ฿37.83

69.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ₡1,075

$1.93 ฿60.8

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,705

$16.00 ฿503

-78.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.78 ₡3,859

$3.16 ฿99.2

146.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.72 ₡4,321

$10.93 ฿344

-20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 ₡1,738

$2.67 ฿83.8

31.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₡501

$1.18 ฿36.99

-14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 ₡599

$1.64 ฿51.5

-26.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 ₡657

$1.59 ฿49.83

-16.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ₡769

$1.32 ฿41.64

17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 ₡807

$1.19 ฿37.49

36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₡385

$0.71 ฿22.20

9.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₡978

$0.56 ฿17.75

251.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.60 ₡2,283

$4.64 ฿146

-0.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.38 ₡3,657

$18.96 ฿596

-61.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡807

$1.77 ฿55.7

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₡1,182

$3.20 ฿101

-25.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ₡505

$0.90 ฿28.32

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡914

$1.36 ฿42.78

35.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡912

$1.35 ฿42.37

36.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 ₡4,013

$8.15 ฿256

-0.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₡657

$1.22 ฿38.43

8.20%

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

$38.4K ₡19.0M

$21.4K ฿671.8K

79.82%

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

$17.0K ₡8.4M

$21.7K ฿683.8K

-22.07%

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

$49.12 ₡24.4K

$70.3 ฿2,210

-30.13%

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

$19.54 ₡9,687

$13.91 ฿437

40.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.22 ₡12.0K

$18.00 ฿566

34.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 ₡28.7K

$41.78 ฿1,314

38.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.11 ₡12.0K

$6.80 ฿214

254.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 ₡4,910

$5.72 ฿180

73.08%

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

$580 ₡287.4K

$308 ฿9,693

88.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡6.2M

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-14.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.18 ₡12.0K

$55.9 ฿1,756

-56.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.11 ₡7,989

$26.71 ฿840

-39.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡62.6K

$84.5 ฿2,658

49.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.63 ₡24.1K

$70.8 ฿2,227

-31.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 ₡380.9K

$431 ฿13.5K

78.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 ₡298.9K

$237 ฿7,439

154.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ₡742.5K

$811 ฿25.5K

84.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 ₡469.0K

$501 ฿15.7K

88.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$912 ₡451.9K

$2,202 ฿69.2K

-58.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$598 ₡296.5K

$1,600 ฿50.3K

-62.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡435.6K

$684 ฿21.5K

28.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.00%

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

Last update for Puntarenas: January 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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