Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surinam and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $626 per month in Surinam vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Surinam $626
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,049 per month in Surinam vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Surinam $1,049
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,472 per month in Surinam vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Surinam $1,472
Chiang Mai $1,903

Surinam is about 32% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surinam and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Surinam 54% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 MUR 280

$2.29 ฿76.5

160.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.18 MUR 1,797

$19.64 ฿656

94.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 MUR 355

$5.61 ฿188

34.40%

Cappuccino

$2.70 MUR 127

$1.66 ฿55.6

62.65%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.3

$0.70 ฿23.40

68.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 31.99

$0.31 ฿10.24

119.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MUR 126

$2.41 ฿80.4

11.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MUR 218

$3.71 ฿124

24.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MUR 75.6

$1.95 ฿65.3

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.80

$1.41 ฿47.03

-48.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.8

$1.31 ฿43.62

-16.03%

Eggs

$2.65 MUR 125

$2.18 ฿72.9

21.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MUR 250

$16.65 ฿556

-68.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 MUR 291

$2.76 ฿92.2

123.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 MUR 520

$9.11 ฿304

21.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MUR 132

$2.39 ฿80.0

17.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 MUR 125

$1.03 ฿34.26

158.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.3

$1.63 ฿54.4

-11.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 MUR 140

$1.50 ฿50.0

98.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 43.58

$1.29 ฿43.13

-27.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.08

$1.11 ฿37.03

-13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.57

$0.72 ฿24.08

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MUR 41.98

$0.53 ฿17.59

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 MUR 298

$4.31 ฿144

47.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 MUR 405

$17.95 ฿600

-52.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MUR 78.3

$1.58 ฿52.9

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 MUR 112

$2.84 ฿95.0

-16.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 MUR 192

$1.21 ฿40.29

238.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 MUR 151

$0.57 ฿18.99

464.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.97 MUR 987

$2.35 ฿78.6

792.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.2

$1.44 ฿47.96

-3.47%

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

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

78.28%

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

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

13.61%

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

$44.93 MUR 2,115

$62.3 ฿2,083

-27.92%

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

$10.67 MUR 502

$12.11 ฿405

-11.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MUR 1,346

$19.94 ฿666

43.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MUR 301

$6.50 ฿217

-1.69%

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

$124 MUR 5,826

$793 ฿26.5K

-84.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-48.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 MUR 3,702

$53.7 ฿1,796

46.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 MUR 3,533

$24.62 ฿823

204.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 MUR 5,633

$90.9 ฿3,036

31.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MUR 3,678

$71.1 ฿2,378

9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surinam

$217 34.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 8.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Surinam

$158 25.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 31.6% $50

Eating Out

Surinam

$133 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 40.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surinam

$84 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 12.1% $10

Getting Around

Surinam

$20 * 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 201% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Surinam

$13 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 292% $37

Accommodation & Living

Surinam

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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 $38.00 in Surinam versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Surinam vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Surinam wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Surinam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

3 h ahead of Surinam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surinam Chiang Mai 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surinam
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

Surinam vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Surinam, 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 $938 per month in Surinam and $1,388 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 $38.00 in Surinam and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Surinam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surinam costs $626 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Surinam. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.