Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Algeciras

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,125 in Algeciras, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Algeciras
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Algeciras Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Algeciras

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Algeciras actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,125 in Algeciras.

Chiang Mai $938
Algeciras $1,125

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,800 in Algeciras.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Algeciras $1,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $2,476 in Algeciras.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Algeciras $2,476

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 17% less than in Algeciras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Algeciras 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$8.88 €7.90

-74.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$36.75 €32.69

-47.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.50 €5.78

-14.00%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.70 €1.51

1.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.32 €1.18

-51.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.15 €1.02

-71.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.55 €2.27

-7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.01 €3.57

-2.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.21 €1.08

69.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.18 €1.05

18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.68 €1.49

-23.81%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.35 €2.98

-32.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.07 €9.84

53.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.49 €6.66

-63.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$14.35 €12.76

-34.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.15 €1.92

11.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.96 €1.74

-48.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.76 €1.56

-8.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.07 €1.84

-26.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.52 €1.36

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.34 €1.19

-17.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.06 €0.95

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.65 €0.58

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.45 €5.73

-32.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$4.79 €4.26

270.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.10 €0.98

48.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.68 €1.49

69.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.53 €1.36

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.82 €3.39

-69.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.43 €1.27

-60.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$28.17 €25.06

-91.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.62 €1.44

-10.49%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$30.4K €27.1K

-32.75%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$28.5K €25.4K

-6.97%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$86.3 €76.7

-27.73%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$11.05 €9.83

11.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$29.37 €26.13

-32.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$35.21 €31.31

7.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.87 €8.78

-32.02%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$338 €301

135.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$7,905 €7,031

87.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$65.2 €58.0

-18.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$32.83 €29.20

-23.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$124 €110

-26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$135 €120

-45.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$472 €420

-1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$389 €346

-21.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$948 €843

-3.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$805 €716

-31.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,135 €1,899

-10.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,741 €1,548

-17.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,876 €1,669

-68.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.32

67.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Algeciras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Algeciras

$389 34.6% 27.6% $84

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Algeciras

$235 20.9% 1.1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Algeciras

$160 14.3% 46.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Algeciras

$127 11.3% 33.9% $32

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Algeciras

$142 12.6% 79.3% $63

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Algeciras

$17 * 1.5% 72.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Algeciras

$55 4.9% 7% $3.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $472 in Algeciras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Algeciras pays 215% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $37.00 in Algeciras. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $235, with Algeciras cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Algeciras

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

19:28 7:28 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

123,639

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Algeciras 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Algeciras

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 Algeciras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Algeciras differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($938 vs $1,125 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 215% lower in Algeciras. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $472 in Algeciras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $338 in Algeciras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $37.00 in Algeciras. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,125 in Algeciras, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Algeciras. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Algeciras are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Algeciras. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.