Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Alcorcón

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,696 in Alcorcón, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Alcorcón
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Alcorcón Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Alcorcón

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Alcorcón

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Alcorcón actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,696 in Alcorcón.

Chiang Mai $936
Alcorcón $1,696

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,505 in Alcorcón.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Alcorcón $2,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $3,315 in Alcorcón.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Alcorcón $3,315

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 45% less than in Alcorcón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Alcorcón is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$17.08 €15.31

-86.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$56.2 €50.4

-66.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.98 €9.84

-49.45%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.01 €1.81

-16.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.83 €2.54

-77.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$2.00 €1.79

-84.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.00 €3.59

-41.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.94 €3.53

-7.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.36 €1.22

43.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.56 €1.40

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.53 €1.37

-13.07%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.82 €2.53

-19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$16.62 €14.89

-1.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$9.34 €8.37

-70.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.41 €15.60

-46.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.63 €2.36

-10.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.41 €2.16

-59.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.55 €2.29

-37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.10 €2.78

-51.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.01 €1.80

-36.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.22 €1.99

-50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.56 €1.40

-54.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.74 €0.66

-33.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.34 €5.68

-34.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.00 €7.17

119.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.00 €0.89

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.21 €1.98

25.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.56 €1.39

-44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$30.50 €27.33

77.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.31 €2.07

-49.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.02 €0.91

-48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$29.29 €26.25

-91.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.81 €1.62

-19.89%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$33.4K €30.0K

-37.02%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$31.5K €28.2K

-14.44%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$163 €146

-61.75%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.35 €10.17

7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$35.27 €31.61

-42.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$44.77 €40.12

-16.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.64 €12.22

-72.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.86 €7.94

-26.75%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$510 €457

44.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$7,957 €7,130

85.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$87.8 €78.7

-39.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$38.49 €34.49

-35.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$100 €89.7

-8.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$112 €101

-35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,006 €902

-52.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$687 €616

-55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,526 €1,367

-34.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,045 €937

-39.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,285 €2,944

-28.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,234 €2,002

-28.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.14

77.39%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alcorcón: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Alcorcón

$687 40.5% 123% $378

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Alcorcón

$300 17.7% 27.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Alcorcón

$152 9% 40.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Alcorcón

$209 12.3% 121% $115

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Alcorcón

$241 14.2% 211% $163

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Alcorcón

$44 2.6% 28.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Alcorcón

$62 3.7% 24.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,006 in Alcorcón. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $56 in Alcorcón for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $300 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Alcorcón

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

171,772

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Alcorcón 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Alcorcón

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

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

Chiang Mai is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $2,544 in Alcorcón to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,006 in Alcorcón. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,696 in Alcorcón – Chiang Mai is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alcorcón runs roughly 44% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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