Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,718 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,718

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in San Rafael vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Rafael $1,718
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,741 per month in San Rafael vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Rafael $2,741
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,765 per month in San Rafael vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Rafael $3,765
Chiang Mai $1,999

San Rafael costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Rafael sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.45 ₡5,597

$2.13 ฿72.0

484.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.0K

$18.62 ฿628

234.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 ₡5,315

$5.60 ฿189

111.07%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,951

$1.66 ฿56.1

161.45%

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

$2.61 ₡1,174

$0.65 ฿21.83

301.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡866

$0.30 ฿10.29

543.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 ₡1,484

$2.32 ฿78.4

42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ₡2,007

$3.67 ฿124

21.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₡1,039

$2.02 ฿68.0

14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,375

$1.41 ฿47.51

117.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,074

$1.39 ฿46.96

71.94%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.37 ฿79.9

48.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 ₡4,813

$16.52 ฿557

-35.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,772

$2.67 ฿90.1

297.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.86 ₡6,232

$9.02 ฿304

53.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 ₡2,301

$2.40 ฿80.9

113.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₡717

$1.04 ฿35.13

53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,197

$1.66 ฿56.0

194.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,718

$1.56 ฿52.6

144.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,671

$1.24 ฿41.76

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,666

$1.09 ฿36.66

240.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.76 ฿25.70

48.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,439

$0.51 ฿17.35

527.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,696

$4.12 ฿139

45.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 ₡8,846

$17.93 ฿605

9.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,291

$1.62 ฿54.8

77.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,595

$2.82 ฿95.2

25.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡607

$0.93 ฿31.53

45.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,107

$1.18 ฿39.70

108.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡728

$0.17 ฿5.79

852.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,978

$1.81 ฿61.1

388.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.47 ฿49.69

6.12%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$21.0K ฿708.9K

61.50%

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

$42.2K ₡19.0M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

59.21%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$62.6 ฿2,111

54.24%

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

$35.72 ₡16.1K

$11.60 ฿392

207.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.9K

$20.30 ฿685

194.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ₡30.7K

$37.88 ฿1,278

80.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ₡3,478

$6.51 ฿220

18.74%

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

$985 ₡442.8K

$727 ฿24.5K

35.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$16.6K ฿559.2K

2.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 ₡32.5K

$53.5 ฿1,807

35.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 ₡25.6K

$24.80 ฿837

129.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡56.9K

$90.4 ฿3,050

39.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.6K

$72.0 ฿2,428

84.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 ₡357.3K

$481 ฿16.2K

65.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 ₡279.3K

$310 ฿10.5K

100.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,888 ₡849.2K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

78.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 ₡571.8K

$659 ฿22.2K

93.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Rafael: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$621 36.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 50.1% $311

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$400 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 40.9% $164

Eating Out

San Rafael

$231 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 66.8% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$192 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 38% $66

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$84 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 39.3% $33

Getting Around

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 268% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in San Rafael versus $481 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 $62 in San Rafael versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

02:09 2:09 AM

13 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 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 Rafael Chiang Mai 16,800 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Rafael costs about 84% 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 $2,577 per month in San Rafael 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 $481 there versus $795 in San Rafael.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Rafael 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 69% more in San Rafael, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,718 in San Rafael and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.