Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: $746 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$746

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $746 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $746
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,247 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,247
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,748 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas $1,748
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas is about 20% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 45% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.83 Q 52.2

$2.24 ฿75.5

204.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.6 Q 387

$19.00 ฿640

166.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 Q 61.3

$5.55 ฿187

44.50%

Cappuccino

$3.40 Q 25.95

$1.67 ฿56.4

103.59%

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

$1.10 Q 8.43

$0.64 ฿21.51

71.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.99

$0.31 ฿10.29

193.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 Q 24.85

$2.36 ฿79.5

37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 Q 35.56

$3.66 ฿123

27.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 Q 15.95

$1.95 ฿65.7

7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 Q 23.40

$1.44 ฿48.41

112.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 Q 15.63

$1.33 ฿44.97

54.14%

Eggs

$2.46 Q 18.81

$2.28 ฿77.0

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 Q 47.05

$16.45 ฿554

-62.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 Q 70.5

$2.78 ฿93.8

231.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 Q 102

$9.31 ฿314

44.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 Q 30.12

$2.35 ฿79.3

67.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 Q 13.15

$0.97 ฿32.75

77.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 Q 21.14

$1.60 ฿53.8

73.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 Q 12.03

$1.50 ฿50.6

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 Q 11.65

$1.28 ฿43.06

18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 Q 16.81

$1.10 ฿37.14

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.21

$0.71 ฿23.79

-4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 Q 8.84

$0.49 ฿16.34

136.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 Q 31.27

$4.14 ฿140

-1.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.94 Q 60.7

$17.52 ฿590

-54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 Q 13.63

$1.61 ฿54.4

10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 Q 20.65

$2.78 ฿93.8

-2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 Q 40.42

$1.16 ฿39.00

356.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.61 Q 81.1

$2.42 ฿81.6

338.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 Q 10.23

$1.45 ฿48.82

-7.59%

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

$27.7K Q 211.9K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

31.65%

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

$25.1K Q 191.8K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-6.82%

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

$72.7 Q 556

$62.2 ฿2,095

16.94%

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

$29.54 Q 226

$12.17 ฿410

142.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.52 Q 348

$20.12 ฿678

126.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 Q 50.3

$6.49 ฿219

1.39%

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

$340 Q 2,598

$736 ฿24.8K

-53.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,649 Q 50.8K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-54.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.97 Q 382

$53.4 ฿1,799

-6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.73 Q 357

$24.64 ฿830

89.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 Q 905

$91.5 ฿3,083

29.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 Q 863

$71.9 ฿2,424

56.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

5.57

108.62%

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

Last update for Santa Lucía Milpas Altas: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Getting Around

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

–

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

12:51 12:51 PM

13 h ahead of Santa Lucía Milpas Altas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,234

127,240

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

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Between locations

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas Chiang Mai 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Lucía Milpas Altas
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 Lucía Milpas Altas vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Santa Lucía Milpas Altas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,119 per month in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 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 $51 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas 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 16% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas and $936 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 $746 in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas to $936 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.