Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benidorm and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,707 in Benidorm, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,707

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,707 per month in Benidorm vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benidorm $1,707
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,498 per month in Benidorm vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benidorm $2,498
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,290 per month in Benidorm vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benidorm $3,290
Chiang Mai $1,979

Benidorm costs about 82% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benidorm sits 25% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.28 €15.49

$2.24 ฿75.5

671.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.9 €47.44

$19.00 ฿640

178.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.28 €11.00

$5.55 ฿187

121.26%

Cappuccino

$2.32 €2.08

$1.67 ฿56.4

38.92%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.64 ฿21.51

257.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$0.31 ฿10.29

280.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €3.06

$2.36 ฿79.5

44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 €3.29

$3.66 ฿123

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.44 ฿48.41

-9.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.33 ฿44.97

6.02%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.14

$2.28 ฿77.0

53.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 €9.84

$16.45 ฿554

-33.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.10 €7.26

$2.78 ฿93.8

191.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 €14.05

$9.31 ฿314

68.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$2.35 ฿79.3

-10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.97 ฿32.75

88.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.60 ฿53.8

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.38

$1.50 ฿50.6

77.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.28 ฿43.06

34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.10 ฿37.14

60.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.71 ฿23.79

54.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.49 ฿16.34

-10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 €5.34

$4.14 ฿140

43.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.13

$17.52 ฿590

-67.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.61 ฿54.4

-45.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$2.78 ฿93.8

-66.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 €4.03

$1.16 ฿39.00

287.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.53 ฿17.78

154.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.26 €21.74

$2.42 ฿81.6

902.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.45 ฿48.82

18.62%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

62.32%

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

$29.3K €26.3K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

8.77%

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

$157 €141

$62.2 ฿2,095

152.74%

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

$16.38 €14.67

$12.17 ฿410

34.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.55 €20.21

$20.12 ฿678

12.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.66

$6.49 ฿219

66.10%

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

$575 €515

$736 ฿24.8K

-21.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,688 €8,682

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-34.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 €81.7

$53.4 ฿1,799

70.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.40 €37.99

$24.64 ฿830

72.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 €86.2

$91.5 ฿3,083

5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$71.9 ฿2,424

64.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 €898

$482 ฿16.3K

107.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 €751

$309 ฿10.4K

171.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 €1,582

$1,006 ฿33.9K

75.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,186

$633 ฿21.3K

109.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,197 €4,657

$2,363 ฿79.6K

119.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,542 €2,278

$1,589 ฿53.6K

59.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,785 €1,599

$590 ฿19.9K

202.67%

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 Benidorm: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benidorm

$838 49.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 63.1% $529

Groceries & Markets

Benidorm

$243 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 3.5% $8.6

Eating Out

Benidorm

$241 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.8% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benidorm

$196 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 51.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Benidorm

$157 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Benidorm

$22 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 133% $29

Getting Around

Benidorm

$11 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 447% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,002 in Benidorm 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 in Benidorm are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Benidorm versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

6 h ahead of Benidorm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,342

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Benidorm Chiang Mai 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Benidorm
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

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

Yes – Benidorm is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,561 per month in Benidorm 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 $1,002 in Benidorm.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,707 in Benidorm and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $575 per month in Benidorm and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,707 in Benidorm 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 $1,707 in Benidorm. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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