Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Ramon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,729 in San Ramon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
Learn more

San Ramon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,729 per month in San Ramon vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Ramon $1,729
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,722 per month in San Ramon vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Ramon $2,722
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,715 per month in San Ramon vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Ramon $3,715
Chiang Mai $1,979

San Ramon costs about 85% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Ramon 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

$12.18 ₡5,500

$2.24 ฿75.6

443.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.9K

$19.00 ฿641

225.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 ₡5,276

$5.55 ฿187

110.63%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,726

$1.67 ฿56.5

128.74%

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

$2.21 ₡996

$0.64 ฿21.55

245.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₡884

$0.31 ฿10.31

532.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₡1,357

$2.36 ฿79.6

27.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ₡2,126

$3.66 ฿124

28.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,077

$1.95 ฿65.8

22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,371

$1.44 ฿48.48

111.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,141

$1.33 ฿45.04

90.23%

Eggs

$5.07 ₡2,288

$2.28 ฿77.1

122.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,869

$16.45 ฿555

-34.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₡4,654

$2.78 ฿93.9

270.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 ₡6,446

$9.31 ฿314

53.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,253

$2.35 ฿79.4

112.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₡700

$0.97 ฿32.80

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$1.60 ฿53.9

103.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,546

$1.50 ฿50.6

128.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$1.28 ฿43.12

149.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,452

$1.10 ฿37.19

192.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₡547

$0.71 ฿23.82

70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₡1,236

$0.49 ฿16.37

459.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 ₡2,511

$4.14 ฿140

34.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 ₡7,362

$17.52 ฿591

-6.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,154

$1.61 ฿54.5

59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,234

$2.78 ฿94.0

-1.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡587

$0.87 ฿29.31

49.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,108

$1.16 ฿39.06

111.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.53 ฿17.80

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₡4,005

$2.42 ฿81.8

266.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.45 ฿48.90

6.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

63.80%

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

$41.3K ₡18.7M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

53.42%

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

$144 ₡65.2K

$62.2 ฿2,098

132.31%

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

$44.11 ₡19.9K

$12.17 ฿411

262.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$20.12 ฿679

167.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$37.31 ฿1,259

58.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,526

$6.49 ฿219

20.34%

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

$843 ₡380.8K

$736 ฿24.8K

14.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

15.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.8K

$53.4 ฿1,801

32.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$24.64 ฿831

124.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.1K

$91.5 ฿3,087

40.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ₡56.5K

$71.9 ฿2,428

73.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡368.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

69.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡282.5K

$309 ฿10.4K

102.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 ₡859.0K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

89.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 ₡563.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

97.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 ₡516.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-51.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 ₡521.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-27.27%

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 Ramon: October 24, 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 Ramon

$626 36.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 50.6% $317

Groceries & Markets

San Ramon

$380 22%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.4% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Ramon

$242 14%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61% $148

Eating Out

San Ramon

$220 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.7% $142

Clothing & Footwear

San Ramon

$171 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 36.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

San Ramon

$75 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.6% $24

Getting Around

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 296% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $816 in San Ramon 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 $62 in San Ramon versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

09:41 9:41 AM

13 h ahead of San Ramon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

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 = 2.96 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Ramon Chiang Mai 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Ramon costs about 85% 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 $2,593 per month in San Ramon 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 $816 in San Ramon.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,729 in San Ramon and $936 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.

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