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

😐 Solo nomad: Puntarenas is 24% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 45.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Puntarenas is 45.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 46.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.24 ₡3,320

$2.01 ฿64.4

260.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.6K

$18.23 ฿583

230.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 ₡4,124

$7.65 ฿244

17.52%

Cappuccino

$3.95 ₡1,814

$1.92 ฿61.3

105.73%

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

$2.07 ₡947

$0.84 ฿26.90

146.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡749

$0.36 ฿11.39

352.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 ₡1,344

$2.19 ฿70.0

33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 ₡2,080

$3.79 ฿121

19.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡943

$1.64 ฿52.4

25.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 ₡1,289

$1.62 ฿51.8

73.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 ₡904

$1.15 ฿36.88

71.30%

Eggs

$2.26 ₡1,038

$1.94 ฿62.0

16.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,562

$15.94 ฿510

-78.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 ₡3,720

$3.10 ฿99.2

161.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.14 ₡4,194

$11.07 ฿354

-17.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,615

$2.71 ฿86.5

29.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₡463

$1.18 ฿37.69

-14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 ₡534

$1.71 ฿54.5

-32.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 ₡632

$1.61 ฿51.3

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡737

$1.39 ฿44.53

15.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 ₡750

$1.15 ฿36.70

41.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ₡351

$0.71 ฿22.76

7.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡879

$0.55 ฿17.60

249.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 ₡2,071

$4.57 ฿146

-1.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 ₡3,783

$18.87 ฿603

-56.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₡781

$1.82 ฿58.2

-6.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₡1,086

$3.21 ฿103

-26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡441

$0.88 ฿28.16

9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿604

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₡853

$1.41 ฿45.17

31.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 ₡853

$1.30 ฿41.59

43.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 ₡3,557

$8.20 ฿262

-5.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₡607

$1.23 ฿39.18

7.32%

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

$38.2K ₡17.5M

$21.2K ฿677.0K

80.48%

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

$16.6K ₡7.6M

$22.3K ฿713.3K

-25.43%

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

$49.64 ₡22.8K

$69.9 ฿2,234

-28.95%

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

$19.84 ₡9,099

$14.07 ฿450

41.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.27 ₡11.1K

$17.70 ฿566

37.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 ₡25.7K

$41.41 ฿1,324

35.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.68 ₡10.9K

$6.69 ฿214

253.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.74 ₡4,469

$5.74 ฿184

69.69%

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

$573 ₡263.0K

$299 ฿9,566

91.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ₡5.9M

$15.0K ฿479.8K

-14.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.20 ₡11.1K

$54.8 ฿1,753

-55.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.65 ₡7,177

$26.35 ฿842

-40.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡57.2K

$84.7 ฿2,706

47.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.02 ₡22.0K

$69.7 ฿2,229

-31.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₡347.6K

$427 ฿13.6K

77.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₡270.4K

$241 ฿7,697

144.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 ₡701.2K

$811 ฿25.9K

88.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 ₡447.1K

$498 ฿15.9K

95.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$992 ₡454.9K

$2,022 ฿64.7K

-50.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$650 ₡298.3K

$1,524 ฿48.7K

-57.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$948 ₡434.7K

$639 ฿20.4K

48.26%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

Puntarenas vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Kuta, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

Izmir

🇹🇷 Turkey