Asunción vs Chiang Mai
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Asunción edges it, 57 to 57, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Asunción is stronger on air quality; Chiang Mai on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Paraguay's leafy, low-cost capital on the river
Full Asunción profile →Where to stay in Asunción →The original nomad capital, still cheap
Full Chiang Mai profile →Where to stay in Chiang Mai →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Asunción | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 61 |
| Safety | 55 ✓ | 51 |
| Healthcare | 66 | 76 ✓ |
| Internet | 64 | 66 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 46 | 58 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 31 | 38 ✓ |
| Climate | 67 ✓ | 58 |
| Air quality | 68 ✓ | 52 |
| Quality of life | 57 ✓ | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Asunción | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $984 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $417 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Asunción | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 6.88 | 4.4 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 68 ✓ | 55.8 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 82 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 70.3 yrs | 75.3 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Asunción | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 26.1 Mbps | 28 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 12.5 Mbps | 16.5 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Asunción | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) ✓ |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Asunción | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 14 | 28 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Asunción | Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 ✓ | 7 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 19.2 µg/m³ ✓ | 26.5 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Asunción or Chiang Mai?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Asunción or Chiang Mai safer?
- Asunción scores higher on safety (55 vs 51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Asunción or Chiang Mai?
- Chiang Mai: a measured median of 28 Mbps versus 26.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Official entry rules that changed after the Passport Index snapshot; OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.