Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trujillo Alto and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,754 in Trujillo Alto, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Trujillo Alto
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,754
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,754 per month in Trujillo Alto vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Trujillo Alto $1,754
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,637 per month in Trujillo Alto vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Trujillo Alto $2,637
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,520 per month in Trujillo Alto vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Trujillo Alto $3,520
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Trujillo Alto costs about 88% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Trujillo Alto sits 30% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.83 $12.83
$2.13 ฿71.7
502.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.6 $78.6
$18.62 ฿625
321.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.43 $9.43
$5.60 ฿188
68.39%
Cappuccino
$2.91 $2.91
$1.66 ฿55.9
75.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 $1.92
$0.65 ฿21.73
195.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 $0.98
$0.30 ฿10.24
226.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 $3.03
$2.32 ฿78.0
30.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.89 $3.89
$3.67 ฿123
5.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 $2.16
$2.02 ฿67.7
6.93%
White Bread (500g)
$3.36 $3.36
$1.41 ฿47.29
138.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.39 ฿46.75
74.10%
Eggs
$4.90 $4.90
$2.37 ฿79.5
106.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.64 $8.64
$16.52 ฿555
-47.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.37 $9.37
$2.67 ฿89.7
250.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.81 $7.81
$9.02 ฿303
-13.41%
Apples (1kg)
$4.29 $4.29
$2.40 ฿80.6
78.75%
Banana (1kg)
$2.57 $2.57
$1.04 ฿34.98
147.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 $4.74
$1.66 ฿55.7
185.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.82 $3.82
$1.56 ฿52.4
144.87%
Potato (1kg)
$3.74 $3.74
$1.24 ฿41.57
201.61%
Onion (1kg)
$4.05 $4.05
$1.09 ฿36.50
271.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.48 $3.48
$0.76 ฿25.59
357.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 $1.54
$0.51 ฿17.27
201.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.11 $10.11
$4.12 ฿138
145.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.96 $14.96
$17.93 ฿602
-16.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 $3.11
$1.62 ฿54.5
91.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.09 $4.09
$2.82 ฿94.8
45.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.93 ฿31.39
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$52.9 ฿1,777
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.44 $2.44
$1.18 ฿39.52
106.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 $1.47
$0.17 ฿5.76
764.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.15 $42.15
$1.81 ฿60.9
2228.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.47 ฿49.47
-29.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K $34.4K
$21.0K ฿705.8K
63.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K $28.2K
$26.5K ฿890.7K
6.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$327 $327
$62.6 ฿2,101
423.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.4 $58.4
$11.60 ฿390
403.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.2 $69.2
$20.30 ฿682
241.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.43 $29.43
$37.88 ฿1,272
-22.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.16 $10.16
$3.70 ฿124
174.59%
Cinema Ticket
$10.69 $10.69
$6.51 ฿219
64.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$344 $344
$727 ฿24.4K
-52.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,458 $5,458
$16.6K ฿556.7K
-67.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.36 $39.36
$53.5 ฿1,798
-26.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.0 $54.0
$24.80 ฿833
117.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.0 $90.0
$90.4 ฿3,036
-0.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 $113
$72.0 ฿2,418
56.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$698 $698
$481 ฿16.2K
44.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$544 $544
$310 ฿10.4K
75.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,160 $1,160
$1,058 ฿35.5K
9.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$960 $960
$659 ฿22.1K
45.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,903 $1,903
$2,418 ฿81.2K
-21.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,614 $1,614
$1,609 ฿54.0K
0.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Trujillo Alto
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,311 $3,311
$595 ฿20.0K
456.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
5.57
17.59%

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

Last update for Trujillo Alto: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Trujillo Alto
$544
Chiang Mai
$310 43% $234
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trujillo Alto
$455
Chiang Mai
$94 79.2% $361
Groceries & Markets
Trujillo Alto
$361
Chiang Mai
$237 34.4% $124
Eating Out
Trujillo Alto
$200
Chiang Mai
$77 61.8% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Trujillo Alto
$133
Chiang Mai
$108 18.7% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Trujillo Alto
$51
Chiang Mai
$51 0.2% $0.1
Getting Around
Trujillo Alto
$9.8 *
Chiang Mai
$59 498% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $698 in Trujillo Alto 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.

Salaries in Trujillo Alto are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Trujillo Alto versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇷 Trujillo Alto
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
22:19 10:19 PM
09:19 9:19 AM
11 h ahead of Trujillo Alto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,712
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Trujillo Alto Chiang Mai 15,570 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Trujillo Alto
  • 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
Trujillo Alto vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Trujillo Alto or Chiang Mai?
Trujillo Alto costs about 88% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Trujillo Alto and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,631 per month in Trujillo Alto and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Trujillo Alto or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $698 in Trujillo Alto.
How do dining costs compare in Trujillo Alto and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Trujillo Alto and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Trujillo Alto or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 53% more in Trujillo Alto, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Trujillo Alto or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,754 in Trujillo Alto and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Trujillo Alto or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,754 in Trujillo Alto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Trujillo Alto compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Trujillo Alto or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Trujillo Alto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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