Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,530 in Santa Teresa, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,530

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Santa Teresa vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Teresa $1,530
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Teresa $2,295
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,061 per month in Santa Teresa vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Teresa $3,061
Chiang Mai $1,999

Santa Teresa costs about 64% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Teresa sits 13% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₡4,450

$2.13 ฿72.0

364.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.31 ₡19.0K

$18.62 ฿628

127.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,365

$5.60 ฿189

73.39%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₡1,664

$1.66 ฿56.1

122.89%

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

$2.04 ₡915

$0.65 ฿21.82

213.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡733

$0.30 ฿10.29

443.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,363

$2.32 ฿78.3

30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,044

$3.67 ฿124

23.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡923

$2.02 ฿68.0

1.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 ₡1,267

$1.41 ฿47.49

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ₡970

$1.39 ฿46.94

55.40%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,341

$2.37 ฿79.9

25.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,500

$16.52 ฿557

-39.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 ₡4,034

$2.67 ฿90.1

235.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 ₡6,114

$9.02 ฿304

50.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ₡2,048

$2.40 ฿80.9

90.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡649

$1.04 ฿35.12

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 ₡1,852

$1.66 ฿56.0

148.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,382

$1.56 ฿52.6

96.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,522

$1.24 ฿41.75

173.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,159

$1.09 ฿36.65

136.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡454

$0.76 ฿25.70

32.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,279

$0.51 ฿17.34

458.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,287

$4.12 ฿139

23.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,198

$17.93 ฿605

-23.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,060

$1.62 ฿54.8

45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₡1,177

$2.82 ฿95.2

-7.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡432

$0.93 ฿31.52

3.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡828

$1.18 ฿39.69

55.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡824

$0.17 ฿5.78

976.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 ₡3,573

$1.81 ฿61.1

339.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡658

$1.47 ฿49.67

-0.68%

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

$38.4K ₡17.3M

$21.0K ฿708.7K

82.69%

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

$32.7K ₡14.7M

$26.5K ฿894.4K

23.44%

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

$84.9 ₡38.2K

$62.6 ฿2,110

35.71%

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

$26.16 ₡11.8K

$11.60 ฿391

125.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.7K

$20.30 ฿685

148.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 ₡22.5K

$37.88 ฿1,278

32.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 ₡10.6K

$3.70 ฿125

539.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡3,995

$6.51 ฿220

36.56%

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

$573 ₡257.3K

$727 ฿24.5K

-21.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₡5.6M

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-25.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$53.5 ฿1,806

15.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 ₡23.0K

$24.80 ฿836

106.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$90.4 ฿3,049

41.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.9K

$72.0 ฿2,428

48.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡317.6K

$481 ฿16.2K

46.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₡266.0K

$310 ฿10.5K

90.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 ₡656.5K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡429.1K

$659 ฿22.2K

44.94%

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 %)

10.17

5.57

82.59%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$592 38.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 47.6% $282

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$346 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 31.7% $110

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 60% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$161 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 30.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 25% $17

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 295% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $706 in Santa Teresa versus $481 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 $42 in Santa Teresa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

13 h ahead of Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

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 = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Teresa Chiang Mai 16,820 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Teresa costs about 64% 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 $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa 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 $481 there versus $706 in Santa Teresa.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Santa Teresa 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 46% more in Santa Teresa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,530 in Santa Teresa. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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