Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: San José is 57.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 16.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San José is 61.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.42 UYU 640
$2.03 ฿64.6
708.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 UYU 2,142
$18.59 ฿593
195.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 UYU 422
$7.48 ฿238
44.52%
Cappuccino
$4.26 UYU 166
$2.00 ฿63.7
113.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 UYU 86.6
$0.85 ฿27.01
161.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 UYU 66.9
$0.35 ฿11.21
388.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.27 UYU 167
$2.21 ฿70.5
93.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 UYU 144
$3.76 ฿120
-1.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 UYU 39.47
$1.72 ฿54.8
-41.28%
White Bread (500g)
$1.97 UYU 76.9
$1.63 ฿52.1
20.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 UYU 57.9
$1.16 ฿36.93
28.45%
Eggs
$2.56 UYU 99.7
$1.98 ฿63.1
29.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.33 UYU 481
$15.93 ฿508
-22.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.55 UYU 294
$3.17 ฿101
138.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 UYU 425
$10.90 ฿348
0.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.25 UYU 48.67
$2.65 ฿84.3
-52.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 UYU 56.8
$1.22 ฿38.98
19.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.24 UYU 48.29
$1.70 ฿54.1
-27.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.43 UYU 55.8
$1.59 ฿50.7
-10.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 UYU 39.66
$1.32 ฿42.21
-22.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 UYU 48.98
$1.17 ฿37.25
7.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 UYU 52.7
$0.68 ฿21.61
98.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 UYU 64.8
$0.56 ฿17.76
196.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.12 UYU 200
$4.51 ฿144
13.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.43 UYU 407
$19.07 ฿608
-45.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.37 UYU 92.6
$1.77 ฿56.4
33.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 UYU 117
$3.18 ฿101
-5.35%
🚌 Getting Around
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.25 UYU 48.61
$0.96 ฿30.70
30.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.66 UYU 1,703
$18.90 ฿602
131.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 UYU 58.9
$1.36 ฿43.29
11.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 UYU 59.0
$1.35 ฿43.11
11.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.91 UYU 426
$8.03 ฿256
35.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 UYU 71.3
$1.24 ฿39.62
47.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K UYU 1.4M
$21.2K ฿674.7K
64.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.9K UYU 1.4M
$21.8K ฿693.5K
69.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$174 UYU 6,805
$71.2 ฿2,271
144.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.56 UYU 646
$14.09 ฿449
17.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.55 UYU 1,932
$17.47 ฿557
183.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$42.07 ฿1,341
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.88 ฿219
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.59 UYU 413
$5.94 ฿189
78.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$480 UYU 18.7K
$307 ฿9,799
56.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,930 UYU 348.3K
$14.8K ฿471.6K
-39.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$93.3 UYU 3,640
$55.7 ฿1,775
67.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.53 UYU 1,854
$26.79 ฿854
77.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 UYU 4,490
$83.2 ฿2,653
38.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 UYU 4,829
$70.1 ฿2,235
76.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$427 ฿13.6K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$237 ฿7,559
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$802 ฿25.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$503 ฿16.0K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,061 ฿65.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,533 ฿48.9K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San José
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$654 ฿20.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.68
5
13.60%

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

Last update for San José: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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