Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riobamba and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Riobamba: $557 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Riobamba
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Riobamba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Riobamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$557

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $557 per month in Riobamba vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Riobamba $557
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $889 per month in Riobamba vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Riobamba $889
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,220 per month in Riobamba vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Riobamba $1,220
Chiang Mai $1,999

Riobamba is about 40% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Riobamba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Riobamba 59% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 $3.47

$2.13 ฿71.4

62.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.17 $16.17

$18.62 ฿623

-13.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.27 $6.27

$5.60 ฿187

11.96%

Cappuccino

$2.36 $2.36

$1.66 ฿55.6

42.17%

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

$0.77 $0.77

$0.65 ฿21.63

18.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$0.30 ฿10.20

136.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.32 ฿77.7

-14.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.67 ฿123

-20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.02 ฿67.4

-51.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.41 ฿47.08

54.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.39 ฿46.54

-38.13%

Eggs

$1.70 $1.70

$2.37 ฿79.2

-28.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$16.52 ฿552

-88.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.67 ฿89.3

16.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$9.02 ฿302

-47.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.40 ฿80.2

-26.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.04 ฿34.82

-52.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.66 ฿55.5

-15.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 ฿52.1

-36.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.24 ฿41.39

-37.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.09 ฿36.34

-21.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.76 ฿25.47

-38.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.51 ฿17.19

92.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.12 ฿138

24.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 $5.45

$17.93 ฿600

-69.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.62 ฿54.3

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.82 ฿94.4

3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.93 ฿31.25

-68.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.18 ฿39.35

7.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.17 ฿5.73

535.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 $11.08

$1.81 ฿60.6

512.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.47 ฿49.25

-43.54%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

10.74%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

14.63%

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

$19.63 $19.63

$62.6 ฿2,092

-68.62%

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

$6.88 $6.88

$11.60 ฿388

-40.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.13 $27.13

$20.30 ฿679

33.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.35 $25.35

$37.88 ฿1,267

-33.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.55 $16.55

$3.70 ฿124

347.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 $6.01

$6.51 ฿218

-7.68%

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

$79.6 $79.6

$727 ฿24.3K

-89.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,459 $1,459

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-91.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$53.5 ฿1,790

-5.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.00 $48.00

$24.80 ฿829

93.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$90.4 ฿3,023

14.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 $72.0

$72.0 ฿2,407

0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$117 $117

$481 ฿16.1K

-75.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.9 $95.9

$310 ฿10.4K

-69.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 $222

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-78.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 $192

$659 ฿22.0K

-70.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$497 $497

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-79.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 $340

$595 ฿19.9K

-42.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

5.57

100.36%

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

Last update for Riobamba: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Riobamba

$142 25.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 66.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Riobamba

$123 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 12.2% $15

Eating Out

Riobamba

$97 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 20.7% $20

Accommodation & Living

Riobamba

$96 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 223% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riobamba

$54 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 76.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Riobamba

$37 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 36.2% $14

Getting Around

Riobamba

$7.9 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 647% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $117 in Riobamba 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 75% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Riobamba versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $237 – making Riobamba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Riobamba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

14:51 2:51 PM

12 h ahead of Riobamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Riobamba Chiang Mai 18,090 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Riobamba
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than Riobamba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $835 per month in Riobamba 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 Riobamba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $117 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Riobamba 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 67% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $557 in Riobamba and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Riobamba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Riobamba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.