Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,425 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Cartagena $1,425
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,101 in Cartagena versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Cartagena $2,101
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,778 in Cartagena versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Cartagena $2,778
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Cartagena is roughly 52% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartagena is 5% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$2.24 ฿75.6

517.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$19.00 ฿641

195.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$5.55 ฿187

43.24%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$1.67 ฿56.5

47.90%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$0.64 ฿21.54

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.31 ฿10.31

487.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.36 ฿79.5

44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$3.66 ฿124

5.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.95 ฿65.7

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.44 ฿48.46

-17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.33 ฿45.03

97.74%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$2.28 ฿77.1

73.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$16.45 ฿555

-22.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$2.78 ฿93.9

141.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$9.31 ฿314

101.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.35 ฿79.4

0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$0.97 ฿32.79

152.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.60 ฿53.9

-1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$1.50 ฿50.6

113.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.28 ฿43.11

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.10 ฿37.18

14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.71 ฿23.82

115.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.49 ฿16.36

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$4.14 ฿140

37.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$17.52 ฿591

-64.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.61 ฿54.5

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$2.78 ฿93.9

-57.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.87 ฿29.30

70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$54.1 ฿1,825

-79.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$1.16 ฿39.04

387.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.53 ฿17.80

320.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$2.42 ฿81.7

1045.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.45 ฿48.88

22.07%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

64.09%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

10.82%

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

$211 €189

$62.2 ฿2,098

239.52%

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

$19.43 €17.40

$12.17 ฿411

59.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$20.12 ฿679

45.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$37.31 ฿1,259

10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$3.77 ฿127

239.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$6.49 ฿219

18.95%

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

$406 €364

$736 ฿24.8K

-44.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-82.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$53.4 ฿1,801

-12.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$24.64 ฿831

41.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$91.5 ฿3,087

-33.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$71.9 ฿2,427

40.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$482 ฿16.3K

23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$309 ฿10.4K

58.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-13.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$633 ฿21.4K

13.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-26.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-10.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$590 ฿19.9K

188.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

5.57

-27.11%

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

Last update for Cartagena: 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

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 36.9% $181

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63.6% $165

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 62.4% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 11.3% $6.4

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 81.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Cartagena and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Cartagena vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

14:21 2:21 PM

6 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Chiang Mai 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Cartagena. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cartagena is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Cartagena versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $56 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,425 per month in Cartagena versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Cartagena and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Cartagena on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.