Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Isidro, Costa Rica and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,676 in San Isidro, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,676 per month in San Isidro vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Isidro $1,676
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,650 per month in San Isidro vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Isidro $2,650
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,623 per month in San Isidro vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Isidro $3,623
Chiang Mai $1,999

San Isidro costs about 79% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Isidro sits 24% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 ₡5,353

$2.13 ฿71.9

458.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 ₡25.9K

$18.62 ฿628

209.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 ₡5,177

$5.60 ฿189

105.54%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ₡1,897

$1.66 ฿56.0

154.22%

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

$2.50 ₡1,123

$0.65 ฿21.80

284.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$0.30 ฿10.28

520.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,504

$2.32 ฿78.3

43.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,972

$3.67 ฿124

19.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,050

$2.02 ฿67.9

15.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,356

$1.41 ฿47.45

114.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,122

$1.39 ฿46.90

79.86%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,543

$2.37 ฿79.8

44.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 ₡4,822

$16.52 ฿557

-35.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,795

$2.67 ฿90.0

299.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,374

$9.02 ฿304

57.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 ₡2,229

$2.40 ฿80.8

106.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ₡750

$1.04 ฿35.09

60.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$1.66 ฿55.9

97.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,584

$1.56 ฿52.5

125.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$1.24 ฿41.71

130.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 ₡1,419

$1.09 ฿36.62

189.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡463

$0.76 ฿25.67

35.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,192

$0.51 ฿17.33

419.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 ₡2,531

$4.12 ฿139

36.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.48 ₡7,412

$17.93 ฿604

-8.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,185

$1.62 ฿54.7

62.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,220

$2.82 ฿95.1

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$0.93 ฿31.49

39.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 ₡997

$1.18 ฿39.65

88.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡822

$0.17 ฿5.78

976.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.65 ₡3,891

$1.81 ฿61.1

377.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.47 ฿49.63

3.40%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$21.0K ฿708.1K

64.83%

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

$40.6K ₡18.3M

$26.5K ฿893.6K

53.28%

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

$93.6 ₡42.1K

$62.6 ฿2,108

49.63%

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

$30.02 ₡13.5K

$11.60 ฿391

158.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 ₡26.9K

$20.30 ฿684

195.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 ₡30.0K

$37.88 ฿1,277

75.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 ₡3,584

$6.51 ฿219

22.43%

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

$857 ₡385.5K

$727 ฿24.5K

17.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ₡7.2M

$16.6K ฿558.5K

-3.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 ₡31.1K

$53.5 ฿1,804

29.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 ₡21.7K

$24.80 ฿836

94.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$90.4 ฿3,046

40.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 ₡62.2K

$72.0 ฿2,425

92.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 ₡364.0K

$481 ฿16.2K

68.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₡280.7K

$310 ฿10.4K

101.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 ₡858.1K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

80.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 ₡559.9K

$659 ฿22.2K

89.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 ₡495.2K

$595 ฿20.0K

85.14%

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 San Isidro: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Isidro

$624 37.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 50.3% $314

Groceries & Markets

San Isidro

$373 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 36.6% $136

Eating Out

San Isidro

$223 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 65.7% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Isidro

$184 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

San Isidro

$172 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 37.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Isidro

$83 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 38.4% $32

Getting Around

San Isidro

$17 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 255% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $809 in San Isidro 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 85% higher in San Isidro. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in San Isidro versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

13 h ahead of San Isidro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Isidro Chiang Mai 16,800 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

San Isidro
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

San Isidro vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Isidro costs about 79% 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 $2,513 per month in San Isidro 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 $481 there versus $809 in San Isidro.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in San Isidro 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 58% more in San Isidro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,676 in San Isidro and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Isidro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.