Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala la Real and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,570 in Alcala la Real, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Alcala la Real
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Alcala la Real Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alcala la Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,570

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,570 in Alcala la Real versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Alcala la Real $1,570
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,345 in Alcala la Real versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Alcala la Real $2,345
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,120 in Alcala la Real versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Alcala la Real $3,120
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Alcala la Real is roughly 68% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alcala la Real is 15% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.35 €11.99

$2.24 ฿75.7

495.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 €59.4

$19.00 ฿642

247.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 €8.04

$5.55 ฿188

61.26%

Cappuccino

$1.87 €1.68

$1.67 ฿56.6

11.98%

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

$2.05 €1.84

$0.64 ฿21.56

220.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.39

$0.31 ฿10.32

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 €2.67

$2.36 ฿79.6

25.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.97

$3.66 ฿124

-9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.95 ฿65.8

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.44 ฿48.51

11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.33 ฿45.07

17.29%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.03

$2.28 ฿77.1

48.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.61 €12.23

$16.45 ฿556

-17.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 €7.47

$2.78 ฿94.0

198.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.36 €14.70

$9.31 ฿314

75.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.35 ฿79.5

-0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$0.97 ฿32.82

104.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.60 ฿53.9

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.50 ฿50.7

70.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.28 ฿43.15

40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 €1.84

$1.10 ฿37.22

85.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.71 ฿23.84

109.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.49 ฿16.38

55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.89

$4.14 ฿140

58.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.16

$17.52 ฿592

-67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.61 ฿54.5

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.75

$2.78 ฿94.0

-29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.51

$0.87 ฿29.33

93.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.99 €28.75

$54.1 ฿1,827

-40.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.16 ฿39.08

43.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.53 ฿17.82

107.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.79 €13.29

$2.42 ฿81.8

511.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.45 ฿48.93

24.83%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

53.49%

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

$30.7K €27.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

13.80%

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

$116 €105

$62.2 ฿2,100

87.15%

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

$15.93 €14.31

$12.17 ฿411

30.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.44 €29.15

$20.12 ฿680

61.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.51 €40.89

$37.31 ฿1,260

21.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.74 €14.14

$3.77 ฿127

317.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 €6.99

$6.49 ฿219

19.88%

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

$556 €499

$736 ฿24.9K

-24.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,901 €7,099

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-46.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 €81.8

$53.4 ฿1,802

70.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.04 €35.97

$24.64 ฿832

62.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 €87.0

$91.5 ฿3,089

5.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$71.9 ฿2,429

58.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €801

$482 ฿16.3K

84.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 €615

$309 ฿10.4K

121.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 €1,203

$1,006 ฿34.0K

33.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €906

$633 ฿21.4K

59.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,337 €2,999

$2,363 ฿79.8K

41.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 €1,972

$1,589 ฿53.7K

38.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

5.57

-40.04%

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

Last update for Alcala la Real: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alcala la Real

$685 43.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 54.9% $376

Groceries & Markets

Alcala la Real

$268 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.5% $34

Eating Out

Alcala la Real

$192 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcala la Real

$165 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 42.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Alcala la Real

$154 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Alcala la Real

$61 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.7% $11

Getting Around

Alcala la Real

$46 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 33.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Alcala la Real and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Alcala la Real vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcala la Real

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

19:02 7:02 PM

6 h ahead of Alcala la Real

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,587

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Alcala la Real Chiang Mai 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcala la Real
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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

Alcala la Real vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcala la Real and Chiang Mai differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,570 vs $936 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,355 in Alcala la Real and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $891 in Alcala la Real versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alcala la Real runs roughly 41% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $556 in Alcala la Real versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Alcala la Real and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.