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 70.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 83.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 87.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 87.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 ₡5,058

$2.03 ฿64.2

429.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡28.3K

$18.59 ฿588

223.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 ₡4,728

$7.48 ฿237

34.36%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,836

$2.00 ฿63.2

95.00%

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

$2.05 ₡963

$0.85 ฿26.81

141.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₡777

$0.35 ฿11.13

371.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 ₡1,374

$2.21 ฿70.0

32.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 ₡2,246

$3.76 ฿119

27.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡964

$1.72 ฿54.4

19.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 ₡1,344

$1.63 ฿51.7

75.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 ₡1,038

$1.16 ฿36.66

90.52%

Eggs

$3.01 ₡1,415

$1.98 ฿62.6

52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.79 ₡4,602

$15.93 ฿504

-38.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 ₡4,415

$3.17 ฿100

196.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 ₡6,400

$10.90 ฿345

24.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 ₡2,087

$2.65 ฿83.7

67.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₡684

$1.22 ฿38.70

18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 ₡2,012

$1.70 ฿53.7

151.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 ₡1,627

$1.59 ฿50.3

117.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,681

$1.32 ฿41.90

170.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 ₡1,466

$1.17 ฿36.99

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₡451

$0.68 ฿21.46

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,380

$0.56 ฿17.64

425.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 ₡2,414

$4.51 ฿143

13.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.99 ₡9,401

$19.07 ฿604

4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ₡1,174

$1.77 ฿56.0

41.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,355

$3.18 ฿101

-9.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 ₡448

$0.96 ฿30.47

-1.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.57 ₡19.1K

$18.90 ฿598

114.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₡880

$1.36 ฿42.98

37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡839

$1.35 ฿42.80

31.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,673

$8.03 ฿254

-2.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₡658

$1.24 ฿39.34

12.90%

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

$38.2K ₡18.0M

$21.2K ฿669.8K

80.73%

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

$32.2K ₡15.2M

$21.8K ฿688.5K

48.13%

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

$95.4 ₡44.9K

$71.2 ฿2,255

33.89%

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

$25.62 ₡12.0K

$14.09 ฿446

81.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 ₡28.5K

$17.47 ฿553

247.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 ₡27.0K

$42.07 ฿1,332

36.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.65 ₡17.7K

$6.88 ฿218

447.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 ₡4,694

$5.94 ฿188

68.01%

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

$559 ₡263.1K

$307 ฿9,728

82.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.0M

$14.8K ฿468.2K

-14.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 ₡28.9K

$55.7 ฿1,762

10.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 ₡24.0K

$26.79 ฿848

90.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡58.8K

$83.2 ฿2,634

50.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡50.3K

$70.1 ฿2,219

52.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 ₡411.2K

$427 ฿13.5K

104.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 ₡249.5K

$237 ฿7,504

123.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 ₡689.6K

$802 ฿25.4K

82.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 ₡492.7K

$503 ฿15.9K

108.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,300 ₡1.1M

$2,061 ฿65.2K

11.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,743 ₡819.6K

$1,533 ฿48.5K

13.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$985 ₡463.3K

$654 ฿20.7K

50.72%

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: March 1, 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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