Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,705 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,705

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,705 per month in San Juan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan $1,705
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in San Juan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan $2,701
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,697 per month in San Juan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan $3,697
Chiang Mai $1,979

San Juan costs about 82% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 25% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.12 ₡5,449

$2.24 ฿75.5

441.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 ₡27.4K

$19.00 ฿640

221.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 ₡5,215

$5.55 ฿187

109.01%

Cappuccino

$4.37 ₡1,967

$1.67 ฿56.4

161.68%

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

$2.77 ₡1,245

$0.64 ฿21.51

332.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$0.31 ฿10.29

525.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 ₡1,484

$2.36 ฿79.5

39.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,034

$3.66 ฿123

23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,074

$1.95 ฿65.7

22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,427

$1.44 ฿48.41

120.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$1.33 ฿44.97

88.72%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,558

$2.28 ฿77.0

51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₡4,892

$16.45 ฿554

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,742

$2.78 ฿93.8

279.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.95 ₡6,273

$9.31 ฿314

49.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 ₡2,283

$2.35 ฿79.3

116.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡709

$0.97 ฿32.75

62.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 ₡2,150

$1.60 ฿53.8

198.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,769

$1.50 ฿50.6

162.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 ₡1,682

$1.28 ฿43.06

192.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,656

$1.10 ฿37.14

234.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡484

$0.71 ฿23.79

52.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₡1,404

$0.49 ฿16.34

536.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.10 ₡2,742

$4.14 ฿140

47.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.76 ₡8,884

$17.52 ฿590

12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,247

$1.61 ฿54.4

72.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,614

$2.78 ฿93.8

29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ₡654

$0.87 ฿29.27

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₡1,116

$1.16 ฿39.00

113.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡700

$0.53 ฿17.78

194.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₡3,991

$2.42 ฿81.6

266.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡710

$1.45 ฿48.82

8.97%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

63.50%

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

$42.0K ₡18.9M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

55.77%

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

$94.1 ₡42.3K

$62.2 ฿2,095

51.34%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$12.17 ฿410

188.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$20.12 ฿678

191.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

$37.31 ฿1,257

94.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,545

$6.49 ฿219

21.42%

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

$990 ₡445.2K

$736 ฿24.8K

34.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ₡7.8M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

18.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 ₡32.6K

$53.4 ฿1,799

35.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.4K

$24.64 ฿830

128.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.4K

$91.5 ฿3,083

42.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$71.9 ฿2,424

80.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 ₡355.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

64.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₡273.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

96.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 ₡767.1K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

69.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ₡542.6K

$633 ฿21.3K

90.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

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 San Juan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$607 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 49.1% $298

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$401 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 41.6% $167

Eating Out

San Juan

$229 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.1% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$188 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 49.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$175 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38% $66

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$88 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 43.1% $38

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 281% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $791 in San Juan 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 $61 in San Juan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

10:48 10:48 AM

13 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

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 = 2.97 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 = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Chiang Mai 16,800 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Juan costs about 82% 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 $2,557 per month in San Juan 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 $791 in San Juan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Juan 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 71% more in San Juan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,705 in San Juan and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,705 in San Juan. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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