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

😐 Solo nomad: San Jose is 73.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 78% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 80.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 89.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 ₡5,338

$1.97 ฿62.0

446.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 ₡30.1K

$18.68 ฿587

225.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 ₡4,960

$7.92 ฿249

26.26%

Cappuccino

$3.74 ₡1,854

$2.02 ฿63.7

85.15%

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

$2.07 ₡1,025

$0.84 ฿26.45

146.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₡784

$0.35 ฿11.07

351.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₡1,507

$2.22 ฿69.9

36.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ₡2,344

$3.59 ฿113

31.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡1,019

$1.67 ฿52.4

23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 ₡1,363

$1.62 ฿51.1

69.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 ₡1,061

$1.20 ฿37.83

78.33%

Eggs

$2.99 ₡1,482

$1.93 ฿60.8

54.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ₡5,048

$16.00 ฿503

-36.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 ₡4,486

$3.16 ฿99.2

186.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 ₡6,676

$10.93 ฿344

23.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 ₡2,246

$2.67 ฿83.8

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ₡728

$1.18 ฿36.99

24.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 ₡2,104

$1.64 ฿51.5

158.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 ₡1,727

$1.59 ฿49.83

118.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,696

$1.32 ฿41.64

159.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,618

$1.19 ฿37.49

173.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡501

$0.71 ฿22.20

42.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,422

$0.56 ฿17.75

412.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.21 ₡2,584

$4.64 ฿146

12.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 ₡8,810

$18.96 ฿596

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₡1,190

$1.77 ฿55.7

35.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,455

$3.20 ฿101

-8.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ₡484

$0.90 ฿28.32

8.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.19 ₡20.9K

$19.24 ฿605

119.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 ₡894

$1.36 ฿42.78

32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡885

$1.35 ฿42.37

31.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 ₡3,888

$8.15 ฿256

-3.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₡716

$1.22 ฿38.43

18.03%

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

$38.2K ₡19.0M

$21.4K ฿671.8K

78.92%

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

$32.0K ₡15.9M

$21.7K ฿683.8K

47.08%

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

$95.1 ₡47.2K

$70.3 ฿2,210

35.29%

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

$25.89 ₡12.8K

$13.91 ฿437

86.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 ₡29.7K

$18.00 ฿566

232.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₡28.6K

$41.78 ฿1,314

38.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.17 ₡18.9K

$6.80 ฿214

461.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 ₡5,067

$5.72 ฿180

78.67%

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

$579 ₡287.1K

$308 ฿9,693

87.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ₡6.2M

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-15.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ₡30.8K

$55.9 ฿1,756

11.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 ₡25.5K

$26.71 ฿840

92.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡62.0K

$84.5 ฿2,658

47.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡53.0K

$70.8 ฿2,227

50.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 ₡439.9K

$431 ฿13.5K

106.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 ₡261.8K

$237 ฿7,439

123.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 ₡707.7K

$811 ฿25.5K

76.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 ₡519.0K

$501 ฿15.7K

109.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,231 ₡1.1M

$2,202 ฿69.2K

1.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 ₡874.1K

$1,600 ฿50.3K

10.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$927 ₡459.7K

$684 ฿21.5K

35.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

103.40%

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

Last update for San Jose: January 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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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