Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Vicente and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in San Vicente: $815 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in San Vicente
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San Vicente Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Vicente

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$815

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $815 per month in San Vicente vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Vicente $815
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in San Vicente vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Vicente $1,310
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,806 per month in San Vicente vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Vicente $1,806
Chiang Mai $1,999

San Vicente is about 13% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both San Vicente and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – San Vicente 40% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.87 $6.87

$2.13 ฿72.0

222.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.20 $45.20

$18.62 ฿628

142.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 $6.89

$5.60 ฿189

23.04%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$1.66 ฿56.1

117.47%

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

$1.17 $1.17

$0.65 ฿21.82

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.30 ฿10.29

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.32 ฿78.3

-11.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.67 ฿124

-2.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.02 ฿68.0

-6.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.41 ฿47.49

97.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.39 ฿46.94

Eggs

$3.07 $3.07

$2.37 ฿79.9

29.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$16.52 ฿557

-54.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$2.67 ฿90.1

165.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.42 $10.42

$9.02 ฿304

15.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.40 ฿80.9

109.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.04 ฿35.12

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.66 ฿56.0

53.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.56 ฿52.6

114.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.24 ฿41.75

133.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.09 ฿36.65

210.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.76 ฿25.70

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.51 ฿17.34

96.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 $3.98

$4.12 ฿139

-3.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 $12.03

$17.93 ฿605

-32.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.62 ฿54.8

40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.82 ฿95.2

4.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 $6.04

$1.18 ฿39.69

411.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.17 ฿5.78

1629.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$1.81 ฿61.1

988.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.47 ฿49.67

-14.97%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

21.14%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

3.84%

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

$132 $132

$62.6 ฿2,110

110.47%

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

$21.65 $21.65

$11.60 ฿391

86.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 $42.85

$20.30 ฿685

111.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 $5.04

$6.51 ฿220

-22.58%

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

$165 $165

$727 ฿24.5K

-77.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,759 $4,759

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-71.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 $67.6

$53.5 ฿1,806

26.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.84 $46.84

$24.80 ฿836

88.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$90.4 ฿3,049

30.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$72.0 ฿2,428

61.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

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 %)

8.5

5.57

52.60%

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

Last update for San Vicente: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Vicente

$287 35.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 17.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Vicente

$196 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 51.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

San Vicente

$157 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 30.9% $48

Eating Out

San Vicente

$144 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 47% $68

Getting Around

San Vicente

$21 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 183% $38

Sport & Entertainment

San Vicente

$10 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 405% $41

Accommodation & Living

San Vicente

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in San Vicente versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Vicente

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

08:08 8:08 AM

13 h ahead of San Vicente

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,504

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

San Vicente Chiang Mai 16,310 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than San Vicente, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,223 per month in San Vicente and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in San Vicente and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $815 in San Vicente and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $815 in San Vicente to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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