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 7.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 19.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San Juan del Sur is 18% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 32.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.16 NIO 153

$2.01 ฿64.4

106.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.23 NIO 1,222

$18.23 ฿583

82.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 NIO 203

$7.65 ฿244

-28.10%

Cappuccino

$2.39 NIO 87.9

$1.92 ฿61.3

24.48%

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

$0.80 NIO 29.42

$0.84 ฿26.90

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NIO 24.77

$0.36 ฿11.39

86.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 NIO 47.62

$2.19 ฿70.0

-41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NIO 74.6

$3.79 ฿121

-46.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 NIO 46.26

$1.64 ฿52.4

-23.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 NIO 54.3

$1.62 ฿51.8

-8.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 NIO 43.38

$1.15 ฿36.88

2.61%

Eggs

$1.91 NIO 70.2

$1.94 ฿62.0

-1.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.79 NIO 287

$15.94 ฿510

-51.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 NIO 240

$3.10 ฿99.2

110.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.96 NIO 293

$11.07 ฿354

-28.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 NIO 140

$2.71 ฿86.5

40.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 NIO 32.78

$1.18 ฿37.69

-24.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 NIO 64.4

$1.71 ฿54.5

2.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 NIO 82.9

$1.61 ฿51.3

39.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 NIO 117

$1.39 ฿44.53

128.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 80.2

$1.15 ฿36.70

89.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 NIO 39.28

$0.71 ฿22.76

50.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 NIO 37.35

$0.55 ฿17.60

85.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 NIO 99.9

$4.57 ฿146

-40.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.16 NIO 374

$18.87 ฿603

-46.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.8

$1.82 ฿58.2

-19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 NIO 83.3

$3.21 ฿103

-29.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿604

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 NIO 54.4

$1.41 ฿45.17

4.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 ฿41.59

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 NIO 253

$8.20 ฿262

-16.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 NIO 47.54

$1.23 ฿39.18

4.88%

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

$23.3K NIO 856.7K

$21.2K ฿677.0K

9.96%

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

$26.4K NIO 970.9K

$22.3K ฿713.3K

18.29%

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

$42.17 NIO 1,551

$69.9 ฿2,234

-39.65%

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

$10.35 NIO 381

$14.07 ฿450

-26.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 NIO 1,310

$17.70 ฿566

101.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.39 NIO 1,118

$41.41 ฿1,324

-26.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 NIO 290

$5.74 ฿184

37.46%

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

$125 NIO 4,596

$299 ฿9,566

-58.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,941 NIO 218.6K

$15.0K ฿479.8K

-60.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 NIO 2,814

$54.8 ฿1,753

39.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 NIO 2,628

$26.35 ฿842

171.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 NIO 4,905

$84.7 ฿2,706

57.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NIO 3,919

$69.7 ฿2,229

52.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 NIO 17.2K

$427 ฿13.6K

9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 NIO 14.8K

$241 ฿7,697

67.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$964 NIO 35.5K

$811 ฿25.9K

18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 NIO 35.6K

$498 ฿15.9K

94.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$278 NIO 10.2K

$639 ฿20.4K

-56.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.25

105.00%

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

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

Batumi, Ajara

🇬🇪 Georgia