Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benalmadena and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,832 in Benalmadena, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,832

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,832 per month in Benalmadena vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benalmadena $1,832
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,761 per month in Benalmadena vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benalmadena $2,761
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,690 per month in Benalmadena vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benalmadena $3,690
Chiang Mai $1,914

Benalmadena costs about 95% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benalmadena sits 36% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.75 €13.12

$2.26 ฿75.4

552.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 €60.5

$19.18 ฿641

254.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 €8.33

$5.59 ฿187

67.44%

Cappuccino

$2.18 €1.94

$1.72 ฿57.6

26.74%

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

$2.10 €1.87

$0.64 ฿21.54

228.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.33 ฿11.18

530.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.92

$2.36 ฿78.7

38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.90 ฿130

13.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.05 ฿68.6

-42.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.40 ฿46.70

15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.28 ฿42.89

40.63%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.10

$2.25 ฿75.3

55.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 €13.78

$16.94 ฿566

-8.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.27 €7.36

$2.74 ฿91.6

201.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.01 €14.24

$9.36 ฿313

71.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.40 ฿80.3

3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.01 ฿33.92

92.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.61 ฿53.9

9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.52 ฿50.7

69.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.28 ฿42.90

44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.11 ฿37.22

89.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.72 ฿24.09

106.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.52 ฿17.54

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 €5.94

$4.33 ฿145

54.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

$17.73 ฿593

-62.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.63 ฿54.4

-27.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.85 ฿95.3

-32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.85 ฿28.31

123.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.58 €28.09

$53.9 ฿1,801

-41.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.17 ฿39.18

57.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.57 ฿19.00

114.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.97 €19.54

$2.37 ฿79.2

827.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.45 ฿48.32

23.45%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

69.06%

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

$29.5K €26.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

11.29%

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

$140 €124

$62.3 ฿2,083

123.99%

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

$12.81 €11.39

$12.27 ฿410

4.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.18 €28.63

$19.97 ฿668

61.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.00 €42.69

$37.91 ฿1,267

26.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.10 €14.32

$3.76 ฿126

328.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 €7.04

$6.71 ฿224

17.88%

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

$557 €496

$797 ฿26.6K

-30.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,462 €8,417

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-36.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 €79.0

$53.3 ฿1,780

66.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 €34.69

$25.05 ฿837

55.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 €85.0

$91.6 ฿3,062

4.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.8

$73.5 ฿2,455

51.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 €864

$464 ฿15.5K

109.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$305 ฿10.2K

193.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,506

$915 ฿30.6K

85.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 €1,322

$552 ฿18.5K

169.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 €3,699

$1,912 ฿63.9K

117.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,495 €3,109

$1,438 ฿48.1K

143.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 €3,497

$595 ฿19.9K

560.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

5.57

-40.93%

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

Last update for Benalmadena: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benalmadena

$895 48.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66% $590

Groceries & Markets

Benalmadena

$277 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 14.1% $39

Eating Out

Benalmadena

$214 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 63.1% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benalmadena

$185 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 48.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Benalmadena

$150 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 27.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Benalmadena

$64 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 19.6% $12

Getting Around

Benalmadena

$47 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 30.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $972 in Benalmadena 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 561% higher in Benalmadena, 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 $68.0 in Benalmadena versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

5 h ahead of Benalmadena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,801

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

Benalmadena Chiang Mai 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Benalmadena
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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

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

Yes – Benalmadena is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,748 per month in Benalmadena 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 16% more in Benalmadena, 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 $68.0 in Benalmadena 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 Benalmadena at $1,832. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benalmadena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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