Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldas da Rainha and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $1,532
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,352 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $2,352
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $3,172 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Caldas da Rainha $3,172
Chiang Mai $1,864

Caldas da Rainha costs about 69% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Caldas da Rainha sits 14% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.73 €14.03

$2.13 ฿71.4

638.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 €45.38

$19.40 ฿649

162.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 €9.12

$5.47 ฿183

86.84%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$1.68 ฿56.4

22.02%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$0.66 ฿22.10

257.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$0.34 ฿11.52

317.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.42 ฿81.0

14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.46

$3.73 ฿125

3.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.06 ฿68.9

-48.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.46 ฿48.78

-1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.35 ฿45.09

15.56%

Eggs

$3.01 €2.69

$2.27 ฿76.0

32.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 €9.26

$16.31 ฿546

-36.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 €6.48

$2.70 ฿90.3

168.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 €11.44

$9.20 ฿308

39.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.39 ฿80.1

-21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.04 ฿34.66

27.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.60 ฿53.7

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.44 ฿48.37

70.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.30 ฿43.59

47.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.11 ฿37.29

69.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.70 ฿23.55

84.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.51 ฿16.99

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.13 ฿138

38.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.95 €3.53

$17.78 ฿595

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.63 ฿54.7

0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.87 ฿96.0

-40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 €3.27

$0.86 ฿28.76

326.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.14 €30.46

$53.2 ฿1,780

-35.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.22 ฿40.81

131.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.50 ฿50.2

27.33%

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

$33.8K €30.2K

$20.9K ฿698.3K

62.03%

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

$37.7K €33.7K

$26.7K ฿895.0K

41.15%

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

$108 €96.0

$61.3 ฿2,051

75.58%

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

$18.14 €16.19

$12.50 ฿419

45.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.70 €34.54

$20.36 ฿682

90.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.88 €43.62

$37.94 ฿1,270

28.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.78 €24.79

$3.77 ฿126

636.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.78 €7.84

$6.60 ฿221

33.03%

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

$399 €356

$774 ฿25.9K

-48.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,537 €4,941

$14.4K ฿483.2K

-61.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.5

$54.8 ฿1,835

74.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.87 €38.26

$25.26 ฿846

69.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$90.6 ฿3,032

23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 €61.1

$73.3 ฿2,453

-6.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €795

$459 ฿15.4K

94.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 €599

$294 ฿9,835

128.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 €1,251

$919 ฿30.8K

52.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €1,001

$552 ฿18.5K

103.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,845 €2,539

$1,917 ฿64.2K

48.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 €2,038

$1,445 ฿48.4K

58.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,145 €1,022

$592 ฿19.8K

93.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.11

5.57

-44.17%

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

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 56.2% $377

Groceries & Markets

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 2.7% $6.2

Eating Out

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 64.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 42.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 23.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 23% $15

Getting Around

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.4% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Caldas da Rainha versus $459 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 93% higher in Caldas da Rainha, 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 $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $230 in Caldas da Rainha vs $236 in Chiang Mai – so Caldas da Rainha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

6 h ahead of Caldas da Rainha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,917

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

On the map

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Between locations

Caldas da Rainha Chiang Mai 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Caldas da Rainha
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

Caldas da Rainha vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caldas da Rainha is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,298 per month in Caldas da Rainha and $1,359 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha and $906 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Caldas da Rainha at $1,532. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caldas da Rainha 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, Caldas da Rainha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.