Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Quito and in Chiang Mai: $978 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Quito vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Quito $978
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,586 per month in Quito vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Quito $1,586
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,194 per month in Quito vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Quito $2,194
Chiang Mai $1,914

Quito costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Quito and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Quito 28% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$2.26 ฿75.4

169.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$19.18 ฿641

189.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$5.59 ฿187

36.14%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$1.72 ฿57.6

97.67%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$0.64 ฿21.54

114.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$0.33 ฿11.18

230.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.36 ฿78.7

45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$3.90 ฿130

55.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.05 ฿68.6

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.40 ฿46.70

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.28 ฿42.89

23.44%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.25 ฿75.3

-5.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$16.94 ฿566

-61.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.74 ฿91.6

101.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$9.36 ฿313

-18.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.40 ฿80.3

-6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.01 ฿33.92

17.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.61 ฿53.9

-17.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.52 ฿50.7

-25.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.28 ฿42.90

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.11 ฿37.22

-8.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$0.72 ฿24.09

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.52 ฿17.54

101.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$4.33 ฿145

42.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$17.73 ฿593

-43.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.63 ฿54.4

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.85 ฿95.3

8.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.85 ฿28.31

-57.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

$53.9 ฿1,801

-60.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.17 ฿39.18

30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.57 ฿19.00

161.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$2.37 ฿79.2

315.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.45 ฿48.32

-44.14%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

3.80%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

5.23%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$62.3 ฿2,083

-53.87%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$12.27 ฿410

45.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$19.97 ฿668

41.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$37.91 ฿1,267

21.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$3.76 ฿126

372.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$6.71 ฿224

-5.51%

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

$739 $739

$797 ฿26.6K

-7.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-39.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$53.3 ฿1,780

33.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$25.05 ฿837

101.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$91.6 ฿3,062

24.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$73.5 ฿2,455

46.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$464 ฿15.5K

5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$305 ฿10.2K

1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$915 ฿30.6K

1.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$552 ฿18.5K

-2.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-8.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-50.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$595 ฿19.9K

-0.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.57

81.69%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 1.4% $4.2

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 20.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 29% $45

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 47.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 26.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 92.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $491 in Quito versus $464 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 0% 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 $55.0 in Quito versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

15:32 3:32 PM

12 h ahead of Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quito Chiang Mai 17,930 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
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

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

Quito costs about 4% 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 $1,467 per month in Quito and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $739 per month in Quito and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Quito – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Quito at $978. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Quito it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $978 in Quito. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Quito makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.