Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: San Juan del Sur is 5.5% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 18.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: San Juan del Sur is 12.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 30.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.09 NIO 150
$2.02 ฿65.3
102.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.28 NIO 1,219
$18.78 ฿608
77.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.71 NIO 209
$7.67 ฿248
-25.55%
Cappuccino
$2.35 NIO 86.2
$1.98 ฿64.2
18.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 NIO 29.56
$0.82 ฿26.64
-1.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 NIO 24.77
$0.33 ฿10.58
106.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.32 NIO 48.39
$2.12 ฿68.6
-37.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 NIO 75.4
$3.73 ฿121
-44.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 NIO 46.58
$1.64 ฿53.2
-22.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 NIO 53.7
$1.57 ฿50.9
-6.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 NIO 43.26
$1.19 ฿38.62
-0.84%
Eggs
$1.95 NIO 71.3
$1.98 ฿64.1
-1.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.94 NIO 291
$15.99 ฿517
-50.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.22 NIO 228
$3.12 ฿101
99.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.78 NIO 285
$11.16 ฿361
-30.29%
Apples (1kg)
$3.79 NIO 139
$2.76 ฿89.2
37.32%
Banana (1kg)
$0.89 NIO 32.67
$1.22 ฿39.5
-27.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 NIO 64.7
$1.71 ฿55.4
3.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 NIO 83.3
$1.55 ฿50.2
46.45%
Potato (1kg)
$3.22 NIO 118
$1.34 ฿43.21
140.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 NIO 82.9
$1.21 ฿39.23
86.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 NIO 38.68
$0.72 ฿23.2
47.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 NIO 37.33
$0.53 ฿17.05
92.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.64 NIO 96.7
$4.72 ฿153
-44.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.93 NIO 364
$18.39 ฿595
-46.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 NIO 52.9
$1.79 ฿57.9
-19.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 NIO 82.7
$3.21 ฿104
-29.60%
🚌 Getting Around
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.94 ฿30.44
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.9 ฿612
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 NIO 55.7
$1.42 ฿46.08
7.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.35 ฿43.53
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.97 NIO 255
$7.85 ฿254
-11.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 NIO 47.56
$1.25 ฿40.4
4.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.2K NIO 851.2K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
9.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K NIO 962.9K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
20.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.09 NIO 1,542
$70.6 ฿2,285
-40.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.41 NIO 381
$13.72 ฿444
-24.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.05 NIO 1,320
$17.56 ฿568
105.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.98 NIO 1,098
$41.64 ฿1,347
-28.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.9 ฿223
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.93 NIO 290
$5.8 ฿188
36.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$123 NIO 4,499
$308 ฿9,963
-60.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,108 NIO 223.7K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-58.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.3 NIO 2,868
$55.4 ฿1,793
41.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$72.8 NIO 2,667
$26.4 ฿854
175.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$134 NIO 4,923
$85.1 ฿2,755
57.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 NIO 4,005
$71.8 ฿2,323
52.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$471 NIO 17.3K
$434 ฿14K
8.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$405 NIO 14.8K
$235 ฿7,610
72.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$961 NIO 35.2K
$821 ฿26.6K
17.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$966 NIO 35.4K
$498 ฿16.1K
93.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,180 ฿70.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,543 ฿49.9K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Juan del Sur
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$275 NIO 10.1K
$703 ฿22.8K
-60.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.25
5
105.00%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 29, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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