Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Rico and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,716 in Puerto Rico, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,716

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,716 per month in Puerto Rico vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Rico $1,716
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,564 per month in Puerto Rico vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Rico $2,564
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,412 per month in Puerto Rico vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto Rico $3,412
Chiang Mai $1,979

Puerto Rico costs about 83% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Puerto Rico sits 26% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.45 €18.38

$2.24 ฿75.7

812.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.9

$19.00 ฿642

221.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.15

$5.55 ฿188

103.60%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.84

$1.67 ฿56.6

22.16%

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

$1.89 €1.70

$0.64 ฿21.56

195.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$0.31 ฿10.32

316.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 €2.44

$2.36 ฿79.6

15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.07

$3.66 ฿124

-6.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.95 ฿65.8

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.16

$1.44 ฿48.51

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.33 ฿45.07

15.04%

Eggs

$4.25 €3.82

$2.28 ฿77.1

86.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.36

$16.45 ฿556

17.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.99

$2.78 ฿94.0

260.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.41 €15.64

$9.31 ฿314

87.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.40

$2.35 ฿79.5

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.09

$0.97 ฿32.82

139.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.60 ฿53.9

34.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 €2.24

$1.50 ฿50.7

66.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.28 ฿43.15

69.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.82

$1.10 ฿37.22

83.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 €1.46

$0.71 ฿23.84

128.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.49 ฿16.38

97.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 €4.16

$4.14 ฿140

11.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.08

$17.52 ฿592

-55.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$1.61 ฿54.5

5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.78 ฿94.0

-39.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$0.87 ฿29.33

90.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.24 €28.97

$54.1 ฿1,827

-40.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 €3.89

$1.16 ฿39.08

273.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 €1.50

$0.53 ฿17.82

215.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.83 €15.13

$2.42 ฿81.8

595.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.45 ฿48.93

20.00%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

65.61%

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

$31.9K €28.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

18.57%

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

$129 €116

$62.2 ฿2,100

107.54%

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

$22.38 €20.11

$12.17 ฿411

83.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.85 €32.22

$20.12 ฿680

78.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.45 €39.94

$37.31 ฿1,260

19.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.59 €14.01

$3.77 ฿127

313.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.90

$6.49 ฿219

52.70%

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

$403 €362

$736 ฿24.9K

-45.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,970 €4,466

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-66.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €82.5

$53.4 ฿1,802

71.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 €38.28

$24.64 ฿832

72.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €81.4

$91.5 ฿3,089

-0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$71.9 ฿2,429

57.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 €785

$482 ฿16.3K

81.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 €610

$309 ฿10.4K

119.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 €1,196

$1,006 ฿34.0K

32.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 €908

$633 ฿21.4K

59.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,233 €2,905

$2,363 ฿79.8K

36.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,186 €1,964

$1,589 ฿53.7K

37.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.57

-36.09%

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

Last update for Puerto Rico: 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

Puerto Rico

$679 39.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 54.5% $370

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Rico

$326 19%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.1% $91

Eating Out

Puerto Rico

$255 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.6% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Rico

$187 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 49.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Rico

$152 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Rico

$64 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21.8% $14

Getting Around

Puerto Rico

$52 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 19.1% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $874 in Puerto Rico 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Puerto Rico versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

16:46 4:46 PM

7 h ahead of Puerto Rico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Puerto Rico Chiang Mai 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Rico
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

Puerto Rico vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Rico costs about 83% 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 $2,574 per month in Puerto Rico 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 $874 in Puerto Rico.

Kindergarten costs $403 per month in Puerto Rico 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 39% more in Puerto Rico, 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 $1,716 in Puerto Rico 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 $1,716 in Puerto Rico. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.