Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,629 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,629

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,629 per month in San Salvador vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Salvador $1,629
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,449 per month in San Salvador vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Salvador $2,449
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,269 per month in San Salvador vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Salvador $3,269
Chiang Mai $1,979

San Salvador costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Salvador sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 $6.58

$2.24 ฿75.7

193.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 $44.57

$19.00 ฿642

134.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 $7.06

$5.55 ฿188

27.21%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$1.67 ฿56.6

116.77%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$0.64 ฿21.56

76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.31 ฿10.32

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.36 ฿79.6

-16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.66 ฿124

-4.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.95 ฿65.8

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.44 ฿48.51

102.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.33 ฿45.07

3.01%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$2.28 ฿77.1

31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$16.45 ฿556

-52.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 $6.92

$2.78 ฿94.0

148.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$9.31 ฿314

8.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.35 ฿79.5

109.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.97 ฿32.82

46.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.60 ฿53.9

58.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.50 ฿50.7

136.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.28 ฿43.15

132.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.10 ฿37.22

196.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.71 ฿23.84

33.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.49 ฿16.38

89.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.14 ฿140

-2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 $11.77

$17.52 ฿592

-32.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.61 ฿54.5

41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.78 ฿94.0

5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.87 ฿29.33

-64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.77 $14.77

$54.1 ฿1,827

-72.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.97 $5.97

$1.16 ฿39.08

414.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.53 ฿17.82

473.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.88 $19.88

$2.42 ฿81.8

721.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.45 ฿48.93

-13.79%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

20.93%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-0.83%

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

$129 $129

$62.2 ฿2,100

107.24%

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

$20.87 $20.87

$12.17 ฿411

71.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.10 $42.10

$20.12 ฿680

109.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.34 $29.34

$37.31 ฿1,260

-21.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.36 $21.36

$3.77 ฿127

466.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 $5.13

$6.49 ฿219

-20.96%

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

$161 $161

$736 ฿24.9K

-78.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,729 $4,729

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-67.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$53.4 ฿1,802

24.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.50 $47.50

$24.64 ฿832

92.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$91.5 ฿3,089

31.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$71.9 ฿2,429

62.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 $893

$482 ฿16.3K

85.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 $776

$309 ฿10.4K

151.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 $1,792

$1,006 ฿34.0K

78.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 $1,366

$633 ฿21.4K

115.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 $2,817

$2,363 ฿79.8K

19.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 $1,839

$1,589 ฿53.7K

15.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$376 $376

$590 ฿19.9K

-36.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

5.57

52.60%

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

Last update for San Salvador: October 26, 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 Salvador

$776 47.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60.2% $467

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$285 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$192 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.2% $49

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 45.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$40 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27% $11

Getting Around

San Salvador

$37 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 65% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $893 in San Salvador 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.

Salaries run about 57% 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 $45 in San Salvador versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

09:07 9:07 AM

13 h ahead of San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.65 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Salvador Chiang Mai 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Salvador costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,444 per month in San Salvador 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 $893 in San Salvador.

Kindergarten costs $161 per month in San Salvador and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in San Salvador, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,629 in San Salvador and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,629 in San Salvador. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.