Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valdivia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,001 in Valdivia, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Valdivia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Valdivia
Learn more

Valdivia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,001

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,001 per month in Valdivia vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valdivia $1,001
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,518 per month in Valdivia vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valdivia $1,518
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,036 per month in Valdivia vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valdivia $2,036
Chiang Mai $1,979

Valdivia costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Valdivia and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Valdivia 26% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.15 CLP 6,010

$2.24 ฿75.7

174.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 CLP 44.3K

$19.00 ฿642

138.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 CLP 6,504

$5.55 ฿188

20.00%

Cappuccino

$2.01 CLP 1,966

$1.67 ฿56.6

20.36%

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

$1.98 CLP 1,937

$0.64 ฿21.56

209.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 CLP 1,242

$0.31 ฿10.32

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 CLP 3,495

$2.36 ฿79.6

51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 CLP 3,403

$3.66 ฿124

-4.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 CLP 1,137

$1.95 ฿65.8

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 CLP 1,296

$1.44 ฿48.51

-7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,471

$1.33 ฿45.07

13.53%

Eggs

$2.98 CLP 2,908

$2.28 ฿77.1

30.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 CLP 8,670

$16.45 ฿556

-46.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 CLP 6,377

$2.78 ฿94.0

134.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.32 CLP 12.0K

$9.31 ฿314

32.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 CLP 2,017

$2.35 ฿79.5

-12.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 CLP 1,819

$0.97 ฿32.82

91.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 CLP 1,750

$1.60 ฿53.9

11.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 CLP 1,800

$1.50 ฿50.7

22.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 CLP 2,228

$1.28 ฿43.15

78.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,461

$1.10 ฿37.22

35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 CLP 1,446

$0.71 ฿23.84

108.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 CLP 1,098

$0.49 ฿16.38

128.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,023

$4.14 ฿140

24.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 CLP 4,572

$17.52 ฿592

-73.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CLP 1,462

$1.61 ฿54.5

-6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 CLP 2,047

$2.78 ฿94.0

-24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 CLP 581

$0.87 ฿29.33

-32.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 CLP 894

$1.16 ฿39.08

-20.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CLP 1,428

$1.45 ฿48.93

0.69%

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

$14.5K CLP 14.2M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-31.06%

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

$17.0K CLP 16.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-37.06%

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

$88.6 CLP 86.5K

$62.2 ฿2,100

42.45%

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

$13.62 CLP 13.3K

$12.17 ฿411

11.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 CLP 29.7K

$20.12 ฿680

51.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 CLP 40.2K

$37.31 ฿1,260

10.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.51 CLP 23.0K

$3.77 ฿127

523.61%

Cinema Ticket

$4.58 CLP 4,476

$6.49 ฿219

-29.43%

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

$238 CLP 232.9K

$736 ฿24.9K

-67.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,049 CLP 3.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-79.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.97 CLP 48.8K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.41 CLP 17.0K

$24.64 ฿832

-29.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.21 CLP 48.1K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-46.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 CLP 75.1K

$71.9 ฿2,429

6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 CLP 558.4K

$482 ฿16.3K

18.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 CLP 360.5K

$309 ฿10.4K

19.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 CLP 968.0K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-1.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 CLP 537.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-13.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,449 CLP 4.3M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

88.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$611 CLP 596.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

3.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Valdivia: 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

Valdivia

$369 36.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 16.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Valdivia

$227 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 3.2% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valdivia

$133 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 28.8% $38

Eating Out

Valdivia

$131 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 40.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Valdivia

$87 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Valdivia

$50 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 0% $0

Getting Around

Valdivia

$3.3 * 0.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1765% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $571 in Valdivia 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.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Valdivia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Valdivia versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Valdivia vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Valdivia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

03:49 3:49 AM

10 h ahead of Valdivia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,048

127,240

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,088 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Valdivia Chiang Mai 17,560 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Valdivia
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

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

Valdivia costs about 7% 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 $1,501 per month in Valdivia 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 $571 in Valdivia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Valdivia and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Valdivia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,001 in Valdivia 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 $1,001 in Valdivia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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