Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turrialba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,726 in Turrialba, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Turrialba
Learn more

Turrialba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Turrialba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,726

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,726 per month in Turrialba vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Turrialba $1,726
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,753 per month in Turrialba vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Turrialba $2,753
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,779 per month in Turrialba vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Turrialba $3,779
Chiang Mai $1,903

Turrialba costs about 87% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Turrialba sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.97 ₡5,370

$2.29 ฿76.5

422.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$19.64 ฿656

210.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 ₡5,283

$5.61 ฿188

109.98%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,946

$1.66 ฿55.6

161.45%

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

$2.75 ₡1,233

$0.70 ฿23.40

292.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡871

$0.31 ฿10.24

525.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,488

$2.41 ฿80.4

37.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡1,973

$3.71 ฿124

18.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.95 ฿65.3

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,372

$1.41 ฿47.03

117.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,134

$1.31 ฿43.62

93.13%

Eggs

$3.60 ₡1,612

$2.18 ฿72.9

65.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,726

$16.65 ฿556

-36.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,630

$2.76 ฿92.2

273.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,352

$9.11 ฿304

55.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ₡2,273

$2.39 ฿80.0

112.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.03 ฿34.26

52.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,124

$1.63 ฿54.4

190.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 ₡1,782

$1.50 ฿50.0

164.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,754

$1.29 ฿43.13

203.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$1.11 ฿37.03

234.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡505

$0.72 ฿24.08

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,431

$0.53 ฿17.59

501.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,724

$4.31 ฿144

40.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.24 ₡9,076

$17.95 ฿600

12.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,274

$1.58 ฿52.9

79.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$2.84 ฿95.0

26.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 ₡574

$0.86 ฿28.86

48.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,101

$1.21 ฿40.29

102.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$0.57 ฿18.99

175.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,948

$2.35 ฿78.6

274.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡671

$1.44 ฿47.96

4.17%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

7.30%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

28.92%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$62.3 ฿2,083

54.69%

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

$35.27 ₡15.8K

$12.11 ฿405

191.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.5K

$19.94 ฿666

196.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 ₡33.0K

$37.07 ฿1,239

98.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 ₡3,527

$6.50 ฿217

21.08%

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

$993 ₡445.3K

$793 ฿26.5K

25.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

16.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$53.7 ฿1,796

34.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.3K

$24.62 ฿823

129.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$90.9 ฿3,036

41.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$71.1 ฿2,378

88.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡362.3K

$455 ฿15.2K

77.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡280.7K

$298 ฿9,954

110.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 ₡838.7K

$908 ฿30.4K

105.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡577.2K

$554 ฿18.5K

132.40%

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 %)

8.62

5.57

54.76%

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

Last update for Turrialba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turrialba

$626 36.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 52.4% $328

Groceries & Markets

Turrialba

$402 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 41.4% $166

Eating Out

Turrialba

$227 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 65.4% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turrialba

$191 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 50.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Turrialba

$176 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 38.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Turrialba

$89 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 44% $39

Getting Around

Turrialba

$15 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 294% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $808 in Turrialba versus $455 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 $61.0 in Turrialba versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Turrialba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

17:51 5:51 PM

13 h ahead of Turrialba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Turrialba Chiang Mai 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Turrialba
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

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

Turrialba costs about 87% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,589 per month in Turrialba and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Turrialba 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 71% more in Turrialba, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Turrialba at $1,726. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Turrialba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,726 in Turrialba. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Turrialba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.