Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Isabel and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Isabel despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
Learn more

Santa Isabel Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,298 per month in Santa Isabel vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Isabel $1,298
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,045 per month in Santa Isabel vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,045
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,791 per month in Santa Isabel vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,791
Chiang Mai $1,999

Santa Isabel costs about 39% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Isabel and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Santa Isabel 4% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.18 $19.18

$2.13 ฿71.8

800.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 $82.6

$18.62 ฿626

343.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 $9.06

$5.60 ฿188

61.79%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$1.66 ฿55.9

117.47%

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

$1.89 $1.89

$0.65 ฿21.75

190.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.30 ฿10.25

403.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.32 ฿78.1

30.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.67 ฿123

38.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.02 ฿67.8

-35.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.41 ฿47.34

141.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.39 ฿46.79

74.10%

Eggs

$6.21 $6.21

$2.37 ฿79.6

162.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 $12.41

$16.52 ฿555

-24.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$2.67 ฿89.8

267.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$9.02 ฿303

45.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.40 ฿80.6

108.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.04 ฿35.01

144.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.66 ฿55.8

197.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.56 ฿52.4

199.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.24 ฿41.61

210.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.09 ฿36.53

255.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.76 ฿25.61

343.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.51 ฿17.29

223.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.04 $12.04

$4.12 ฿139

192.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$17.93 ฿603

-13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.62 ฿54.6

93.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.82 ฿94.9

39.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.18 ฿39.56

106.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$0.17 ฿5.76

288.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.69 $39.69

$1.81 ฿60.9

2092.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 ฿49.51

-25.85%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

66.94%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

5.32%

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

$318 $318

$62.6 ฿2,103

407.74%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$11.60 ฿390

490.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$20.30 ฿683

250.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$10.62 $10.62

$6.51 ฿219

63.13%

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

$826 $826

$727 ฿24.4K

13.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-27.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$53.5 ฿1,800

5.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 $62.2

$24.80 ฿834

150.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$90.4 ฿3,039

18.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$72.0 ฿2,420

59.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 79.3% $363

Groceries & Markets

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 40.5% $161

Eating Out

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 70.9% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 29.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 140% $30

Getting Around

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 920% $53

Accommodation & Living

Santa Isabel

- * 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 $83 in Santa Isabel versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

07:57 7:57 AM

11 h ahead of Santa Isabel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,000

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Isabel Chiang Mai 15,630 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Isabel
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

Santa Isabel vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Isabel costs about 39% 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 $1,948 per month in Santa Isabel 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 $83 in Santa Isabel 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 68% more in Santa Isabel, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,298 in Santa Isabel and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,298 in Santa Isabel. 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.