Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,326 in Salto, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,326

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,326 per month in Salto vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salto $1,326
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,953 per month in Salto vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salto $1,953
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,579 per month in Salto vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salto $2,579
Chiang Mai $1,903

Salto costs about 43% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Salto and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Salto 2% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.48 UYU 661

$2.29 ฿76.5

619.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.65 UYU 1,511

$19.64 ฿656

91.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.61 ฿188

113.55%

Cappuccino

$3.29 UYU 132

$1.66 ฿55.6

98.19%

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

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$0.70 ฿23.40

217.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 UYU 64.4

$0.31 ฿10.24

416.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 UYU 177

$2.41 ฿80.4

82.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 UYU 125

$3.71 ฿124

-16.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.95 ฿65.3

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$1.41 ฿47.03

52.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 UYU 59.8

$1.31 ฿43.62

13.74%

Eggs

$5.31 UYU 213

$2.18 ฿72.9

143.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 UYU 605

$16.65 ฿556

-9.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 UYU 352

$2.76 ฿92.2

218.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 UYU 406

$9.11 ฿304

10.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 UYU 49.43

$2.39 ฿80.0

-48.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 UYU 87.1

$1.03 ฿34.26

110.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.37

$1.63 ฿54.4

-25.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 UYU 74.2

$1.50 ฿50.0

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 UYU 35.69

$1.29 ฿43.13

-31.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$1.11 ฿37.03

56.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 UYU 37.28

$0.72 ฿24.08

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 UYU 60.8

$0.53 ฿17.59

184.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.32 UYU 214

$4.31 ฿144

23.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 UYU 307

$17.95 ฿600

-57.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 UYU 73.1

$1.58 ฿52.9

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 UYU 103

$2.84 ฿95.0

-9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 UYU 24.18

$0.86 ฿28.86

-30.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 UYU 1,215

$53.3 ฿1,780

-43.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 UYU 152

$0.57 ฿18.99

564.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 UYU 77.5

$1.44 ฿47.96

34.03%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$202 UYU 8,114

$62.3 ฿2,083

224.35%

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

$21.95 UYU 881

$12.11 ฿405

81.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.33 UYU 1,217

$19.94 ฿666

52.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.19 UYU 1,492

$37.07 ฿1,239

0.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.41 UYU 498

$3.78 ฿126

228.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 UYU 401

$6.50 ฿217

53.85%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,519 UYU 181.4K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-69.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 UYU 3,552

$53.7 ฿1,796

64.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 UYU 2,262

$24.62 ฿823

128.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 UYU 4,542

$90.9 ฿3,036

24.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.3 UYU 2,620

$71.1 ฿2,378

-8.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 UYU 18.1K

$455 ฿15.2K

-1.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 UYU 11.8K

$298 ฿9,954

-1.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 UYU 29.5K

$908 ฿30.4K

-19.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 UYU 16.8K

$554 ฿18.5K

-24.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$632 UYU 25.4K

$591 ฿19.7K

7.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Salto: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salto

$293 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 1.5% $4.5

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$273 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$254 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 62.9% $160

Eating Out

Salto

$251 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 68.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$145 11%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 25.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$57 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.5% $7.1

Getting Around

Salto

$52 * 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.7% $9.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $451 in Salto versus $455 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 7% higher in Salto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Salto versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Salto

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

22:45 10:45 PM

10 h ahead of Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,028

127,240

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salto Chiang Mai 17,310 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Salto
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

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

Salto costs about 43% 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 $1,988 per month in Salto and $1,388 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.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Salto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Salto at $1,326. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,326 in Salto. 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, Salto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.