Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alhaurin el Grande and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,634 in Alhaurin el Grande, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Alhaurin el Grande
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Alhaurin el Grande Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alhaurin el Grande

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,634 per month in Alhaurin el Grande vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alhaurin el Grande $1,634
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,335 per month in Alhaurin el Grande vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alhaurin el Grande $2,335
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Alhaurin el Grande vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alhaurin el Grande $3,036
Chiang Mai $1,914

Alhaurin el Grande costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alhaurin el Grande sits 21% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.05

$2.26 ฿75.4

648.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 €50.7

$19.18 ฿641

197.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 €10.17

$5.59 ฿187

104.65%

Cappuccino

$2.41 €2.14

$1.72 ฿57.6

40.12%

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

$2.54 €2.26

$0.64 ฿21.54

296.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.33 ฿11.18

445.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.36 ฿78.7

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.17

$3.90 ฿130

-8.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.05 ฿68.6

-42.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.40 ฿46.70

2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.28 ฿42.89

26.56%

Eggs

$3.19 €2.83

$2.25 ฿75.3

41.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.45 €11.96

$16.94 ฿566

-20.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 €7.18

$2.74 ฿91.6

194.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 €13.78

$9.36 ฿313

65.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.40 ฿80.3

6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.01 ฿33.92

102.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.61 ฿53.9

19.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.52 ฿50.7

67.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.28 ฿42.90

42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.11 ฿37.22

81.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.72 ฿24.09

86.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$0.52 ฿17.54

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.13 €5.46

$4.33 ฿145

41.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$17.73 ฿593

-69.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.63 ฿54.4

-24.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.85 ฿95.3

-25.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.49

$0.85 ฿28.31

97.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.73 €29.11

$53.9 ฿1,801

-39.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.17 ฿39.18

248.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.57 ฿19.00

147.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.82 €20.30

$2.37 ฿79.2

862.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.45 ฿48.32

23.45%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

70.83%

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

$29.2K €25.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

10.03%

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

$143 €127

$62.3 ฿2,083

129.38%

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

$18.49 €16.44

$12.27 ฿410

50.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.42 €27.06

$19.97 ฿668

52.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 €39.81

$37.91 ฿1,267

18.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.80 €14.06

$3.76 ฿126

320.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 €7.92

$6.71 ฿224

32.64%

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

$473 €421

$797 ฿26.6K

-40.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,518 €7,576

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-42.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.5 €77.0

$53.3 ฿1,780

62.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.26 €32.26

$25.05 ฿837

44.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 €80.4

$91.6 ฿3,062

-1.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$73.5 ฿2,455

55.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 €698

$464 ฿15.5K

69.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 €604

$305 ฿10.2K

122.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 €1,016

$915 ฿30.6K

24.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 €762

$552 ฿18.5K

55.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,278 €2,916

$1,912 ฿63.9K

71.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,210 €1,966

$1,438 ฿48.1K

53.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,132 €1,007

$595 ฿19.9K

90.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Alhaurin el Grande: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alhaurin el Grande

$679 41.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 55.1% $374

Groceries & Markets

Alhaurin el Grande

$262 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 9.2% $24

Eating Out

Alhaurin el Grande

$240 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 67.1% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alhaurin el Grande

$192 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 50.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Alhaurin el Grande

$147 9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 25.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Alhaurin el Grande

$63 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 17.9% $11

Getting Around

Alhaurin el Grande

$51 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 21.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $785 in Alhaurin el Grande versus $464 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 90% higher in Alhaurin el Grande, 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 $57.0 in Alhaurin el Grande versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alhaurin el Grande

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

5 h ahead of Alhaurin el Grande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,879

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Alhaurin el Grande Chiang Mai 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Alhaurin el Grande
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

Alhaurin el Grande vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,634 in Alhaurin el Grande, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 74% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,450 per month in Alhaurin el Grande and $1,408 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.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Alhaurin el Grande, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Alhaurin el Grande and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Alhaurin el Grande at $1,634. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alhaurin el Grande it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $1,634 in Alhaurin el Grande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Alhaurin el Grande makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.