Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quesada and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,664 in Quesada, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Quesada
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Quesada Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,664

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,664 per month in Quesada vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Quesada $1,664
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,649 per month in Quesada vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Quesada $2,649
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,633 per month in Quesada vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Quesada $3,633
Chiang Mai $1,979

Quesada costs about 78% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Quesada sits 22% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 ₡5,410

$2.24 ฿75.5

437.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 ₡27.6K

$19.00 ฿640

223.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,329

$5.55 ฿187

113.51%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,954

$1.67 ฿56.4

159.88%

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

$2.76 ₡1,242

$0.64 ฿21.51

331.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$0.31 ฿10.29

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,472

$2.36 ฿79.5

38.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₡1,069

$3.66 ฿123

-34.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,043

$1.95 ฿65.7

18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 ₡1,281

$1.44 ฿48.41

97.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,118

$1.33 ฿44.97

87.22%

Eggs

$2.65 ₡1,192

$2.28 ฿77.0

16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,776

$16.45 ฿554

-35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,718

$2.78 ฿93.8

277.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 ₡6,221

$9.31 ฿314

48.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 ₡2,374

$2.35 ฿79.3

124.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₡718

$0.97 ฿32.75

64.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.60 ฿53.8

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 ₡1,794

$1.50 ฿50.6

166.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,734

$1.28 ฿43.06

201.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,619

$1.10 ฿37.14

227.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.71 ฿23.79

57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,436

$0.49 ฿16.34

551.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,600

$4.14 ฿140

39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 ₡6,857

$17.52 ฿590

-12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,302

$1.61 ฿54.4

79.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₡1,672

$2.78 ฿93.8

33.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ₡640

$0.87 ฿29.27

63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ₡710

$1.16 ฿39.00

36.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.53 ฿17.78

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,944

$2.42 ฿81.6

262.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.45 ฿48.82

6.90%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

63.52%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

53.17%

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

$94.6 ₡42.6K

$62.2 ฿2,095

52.21%

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

$30.47 ₡13.7K

$12.17 ฿410

150.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$20.12 ฿678

172.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 ₡30.9K

$37.31 ฿1,257

84.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.49 ₡7,414

$3.77 ฿127

337.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.39 ₡2,425

$6.49 ฿219

-16.95%

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

$254 ₡114.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,200 ₡1.9M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-71.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₡31.6K

$53.4 ฿1,799

31.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$24.64 ฿830

123.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$91.5 ฿3,083

40.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₡49.7K

$71.9 ฿2,424

53.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 ₡366.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

69.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 ₡283.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

103.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 ₡859.5K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

89.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 ₡565.2K

$633 ฿21.3K

98.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,200 ₡1.9M

$2,363 ฿79.6K

77.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,197 ₡988.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

38.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Quesada: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quesada

$630 37.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 50.9% $321

Groceries & Markets

Quesada

$372 22.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.1% $138

Eating Out

Quesada

$224 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.3% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quesada

$180 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 47.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Quesada

$164 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 33.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Quesada

$80 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36.8% $29

Getting Around

Quesada

$15 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 306% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $815 in Quesada 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Quesada versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Quesada

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

10:35 10:35 AM

13 h ahead of Quesada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quesada Chiang Mai 16,760 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Quesada
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

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

Quesada costs about 78% 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 $2,496 per month in Quesada 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 $482 there versus $815 in Quesada.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Quesada 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 59% more in Quesada, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,664 in Quesada and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,664 in Quesada. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.