Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samara, Costa Rica and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
Learn more

Samara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,032 per month in Samara vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samara $2,032
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,533 per month in Samara vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samara $3,533
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,034 per month in Samara vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samara $5,034
Chiang Mai $1,979

Samara costs about 117% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Samara sits 49% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 ₡4,997

$2.24 ฿75.6

394.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₡28.1K

$19.00 ฿641

227.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 ₡5,282

$5.55 ฿187

110.81%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,960

$1.67 ฿56.5

159.88%

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

$2.72 ₡1,229

$0.64 ฿21.54

325.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡866

$0.31 ฿10.31

519.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,501

$2.36 ฿79.5

40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,036

$3.66 ฿124

23.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,095

$1.95 ฿65.7

24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,376

$1.44 ฿48.46

111.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,129

$1.33 ฿45.03

87.97%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,561

$2.28 ฿77.1

51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$16.45 ฿555

-34.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,736

$2.78 ฿93.9

277.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,885

$9.31 ฿314

16.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 ₡2,263

$2.35 ฿79.4

113.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$0.97 ฿32.79

70.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 ₡2,129

$1.60 ฿53.9

195.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,723

$1.50 ฿50.6

154.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.28 ฿43.11

190.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,665

$1.10 ฿37.18

235.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$0.71 ฿23.82

52.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,397

$0.49 ฿16.36

530.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$4.14 ฿140

34.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ₡8,513

$17.52 ฿591

7.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₡1,255

$1.61 ฿54.5

72.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₡1,119

$2.78 ฿93.9

-10.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ₡630

$0.87 ฿29.30

60.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$1.16 ฿39.04

113.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$0.53 ฿17.80

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 ₡3,843

$2.42 ฿81.7

251.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.45 ฿48.88

4.83%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

62.94%

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

$41.2K ₡18.6M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

53.06%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$62.2 ฿2,098

51.17%

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

$35.45 ₡16.0K

$12.17 ฿411

191.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$20.12 ฿679

193.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.2K

$37.31 ฿1,259

79.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,556

$6.49 ฿219

21.42%

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

$502 ₡226.4K

$736 ฿24.8K

-31.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,013 ₡2.7M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-59.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 ₡30.3K

$53.4 ฿1,801

25.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 ₡25.1K

$24.64 ฿831

125.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.4K

$91.5 ฿3,087

41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$71.9 ฿2,427

84.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 ₡619.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

184.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 ₡436.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

212.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,769 ₡1.7M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

274.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 ₡1.2M

$633 ฿21.4K

312.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 ₡2.2M

$2,363 ฿79.7K

109.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

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 Samara: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samara

$967 47.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 68% $658

Groceries & Markets

Samara

$385 19%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.2% $151

Eating Out

Samara

$220 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samara

$188 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 49.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Samara

$173 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 37.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Samara

$83 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 39.1% $32

Getting Around

Samara

$16 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 286% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,373 in Samara 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 $62 in Samara versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Samara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

08:02 8:02 AM

13 h ahead of Samara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,071

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 = 2.96 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samara Chiang Mai 16,790 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Samara
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

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

Samara costs about 117% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $3,048 per month in Samara 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 $1,373 in Samara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Samara 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 64% more in Samara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,032 in Samara and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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