Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
Learn more

Tena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in Tena vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tena $891
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,475 per month in Tena vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tena $1,475
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,060 per month in Tena vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tena $2,060
Chiang Mai $1,999

Tena is about 5% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Tena and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tena 34% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.63 $5.63

$2.13 ฿71.9

164.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 $54.8

$18.62 ฿628

194.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.58 $7.58

$5.60 ฿189

35.36%

Cappuccino

$3.34 $3.34

$1.66 ฿56.0

101.20%

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

$1.43 $1.43

$0.65 ฿21.80

120.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.30 ฿10.28

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.32 ฿78.3

47.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.67 ฿124

66.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.02 ฿67.9

-43.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.41 ฿47.45

13.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.39 ฿46.90

8.63%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$2.37 ฿79.8

-12.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$16.52 ฿557

-60.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.67 ฿90.0

103.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 $7.67

$9.02 ฿304

-14.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.40 ฿80.8

-2.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.04 ฿35.09

17.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.66 ฿55.9

-23.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.56 ฿52.5

-27.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.24 ฿41.71

-4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.09 ฿36.62

-0.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 $0.87

$0.76 ฿25.67

14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 $1.00

$0.51 ฿17.33

96.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.12 ฿139

43.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.27 $8.27

$17.93 ฿604

-53.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.62 ฿54.7

-2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.82 ฿95.1

9.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$0.93 ฿31.49

-64.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.18 ฿39.65

29.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 $0.75

$0.17 ฿5.78

341.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.91 $9.91

$1.81 ฿61.1

447.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.47 ฿49.63

-41.50%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$21.0K ฿708.1K

11.28%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$26.5K ฿893.6K

13.51%

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

$28.50 $28.50

$62.6 ฿2,108

-54.44%

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

$17.84 $17.84

$11.60 ฿391

53.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.34 $28.34

$20.30 ฿684

39.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.89 $29.89

$37.88 ฿1,277

-21.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.69 $16.69

$3.70 ฿125

351.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 $6.50

$6.51 ฿219

-0.15%

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

$729 $729

$727 ฿24.5K

0.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,064 $9,064

$16.6K ฿558.5K

-45.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 $71.3

$53.5 ฿1,804

33.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$24.80 ฿836

103.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$90.4 ฿3,046

28.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$72.0 ฿2,425

51.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$481 ฿16.2K

-12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 $270

$310 ฿10.4K

-12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 $802

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-24.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 $507

$659 ฿22.2K

-23.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.57

81.69%

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

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$270 30.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 14.6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Tena

$193 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 22.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$156 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 30.6% $48

Eating Out

Tena

$147 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 48% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$75 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 26.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$43 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 18.7% $8

Getting Around

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 785% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Tena 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 $55 in Tena versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Tena vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Tena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

02:49 2:49 AM

12 h ahead of Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tena Chiang Mai 18,010 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Tena, 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 $1,336 per month in Tena 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 Tena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Tena 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 23% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $891 in Tena to $935 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.