Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,058 in San Juan del Sur, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $1,058
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $1,682
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,307 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Juan del Sur $2,307
Chiang Mai $1,914

San Juan del Sur costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both San Juan del Sur and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Juan del Sur 22% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 NIO 153

$2.26 ฿75.4

84.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.08 NIO 1,248

$19.18 ฿641

77.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 NIO 204

$5.59 ฿187

-0.36%

Cappuccino

$2.56 NIO 93.7

$1.72 ฿57.6

48.84%

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

$0.86 NIO 31.37

$0.64 ฿21.54

34.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 25.02

$0.33 ฿11.18

106.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NIO 53.8

$2.36 ฿78.7

-37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$3.90 ฿130

-42.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 NIO 45.36

$2.05 ฿68.6

-39.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 NIO 55.9

$1.40 ฿46.70

9.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NIO 43.56

$1.28 ฿42.89

-7.03%

Eggs

$2.44 NIO 89.2

$2.25 ฿75.3

8.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 NIO 283

$16.94 ฿566

-54.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 NIO 225

$2.74 ฿91.6

124.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 NIO 287

$9.36 ฿313

-16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NIO 150

$2.40 ฿80.3

70.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 NIO 22.71

$1.01 ฿33.92

-38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$1.61 ฿53.9

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 NIO 89.9

$1.52 ฿50.7

61.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 NIO 114

$1.28 ฿42.90

142.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 79.9

$1.11 ฿37.22

96.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 NIO 38.54

$0.72 ฿24.09

45.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.52

$0.52 ฿17.54

101.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 NIO 101

$4.33 ฿145

-36.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 NIO 357

$17.73 ฿593

-44.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$1.63 ฿54.4

-12.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.7

$2.85 ฿95.3

-23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 NIO 58.0

$1.17 ฿39.18

35.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NIO 60.3

$0.57 ฿19.00

187.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 NIO 252

$2.37 ฿79.2

189.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NIO 49.13

$1.45 ฿48.32

-7.59%

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

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

11.59%

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

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

0.63%

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

$60.8 NIO 2,225

$62.3 ฿2,083

-2.52%

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

$10.32 NIO 378

$12.27 ฿410

-15.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.01 NIO 1,209

$19.97 ฿668

65.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.51 NIO 1,118

$37.91 ฿1,267

-19.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$9.23 NIO 338

$6.71 ฿224

37.56%

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

$233 NIO 8,530

$797 ฿26.6K

-70.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-58.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 NIO 2,237

$53.3 ฿1,780

14.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 NIO 2,421

$25.05 ฿837

163.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,500

$91.6 ฿3,062

34.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 NIO 5,331

$73.5 ฿2,455

98.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 NIO 15.5K

$464 ฿15.5K

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 NIO 14.4K

$305 ฿10.2K

29.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NIO 34.1K

$915 ฿30.6K

1.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 NIO 29.2K

$552 ฿18.5K

44.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 NIO 12.7K

$595 ฿19.9K

-41.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

5.57

114.00%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan del Sur

$393 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 22.5% $89

Groceries & Markets

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 5.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 38.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 9.1% $9.5

Eating Out

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 19.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 4.8% $2.4

Getting Around

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 525% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $423 in San Juan del Sur versus $464 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.

Salaries run about 72% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in San Juan del Sur versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in San Juan del Sur vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so San Juan del Sur wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

11:32 11:32 AM

13 h ahead of San Juan del Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,741

127,240

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan del Sur Chiang Mai 16,630 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Juan del Sur costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,586 per month in San Juan del Sur and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in San Juan del Sur and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in San Juan del Sur – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in San Juan del Sur at $1,058. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan del Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,058 in San Juan del Sur. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Juan del Sur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.