Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Calella

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,596 in Calella, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Calella
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Calella Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Calella

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,596 in Calella, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Calella $1,596

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,366 in Calella, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Calella $2,366

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,137 in Calella, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Calella $3,137

Chiang Mai is about 42% cheaper than Calella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Calella is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$14.73 €13.13

-84.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$56.4 €50.3

-65.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$8.03 €7.15

-30.14%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.49 €2.22

-33.33%

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

$0.70 ฿23.61

$2.33 €2.08

-69.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$1.79 €1.59

-82.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.1

$3.46 €3.08

-30.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$3.31 €2.95

12.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.11 €0.99

75.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.47

$2.09 €1.86

-32.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.03

$2.88 €2.57

-54.51%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$3.03 €2.70

-28.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$14.61 €13.03

13.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$8.31 €7.41

-66.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$15.33 €13.66

-40.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$2.48 €2.21

-3.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.58

$1.97 €1.76

-47.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$1.58 €1.41

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.42 €2.15

-38.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.53

$1.79 €1.60

-27.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.37

$1.86 €1.65

-40.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.30

$1.38 €1.23

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.62 €0.55

-14.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$6.96 €6.21

-38.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$5.56 €4.96

222.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.07 €0.95

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.43 €2.17

16.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.13

$1.46 €1.30

-41.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

$31.71 €28.26

68.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.66

$3.77 €3.36

-67.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.16

$1.24 €1.11

-54.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$14.51 €12.93

-83.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.40

$1.83 €1.63

-21.31%

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

$20.7K ฿699.2K

$39.4K €35.1K

-47.39%

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

$26.8K ฿904.0K

$31.0K €27.6K

-13.61%

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

$62.3 ฿2,102

$117 €104

-46.69%

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

$12.11 ฿408

$13.52 €12.05

-10.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$25.05 €22.32

-20.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,250

$46.23 €41.20

-19.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$17.63 €15.71

-78.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$8.35 €7.44

-22.16%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$560 €499

41.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.5K

$9,945 €8,864

48.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$62.6 €55.8

-14.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$21.12 €18.82

16.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,064

$114 €101

-20.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$160 €143

-55.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$904 €805

-49.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$684 €610

-56.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$1,356 €1,208

-33.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$1,011 €901

-45.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$3,081 €2,746

-37.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$1,932 €1,722

-25.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$1,725 €1,537

-65.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.3

68.79%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Calella: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Calella

$684 42.9% 130% $386

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Calella

$273 17.1% 15.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Calella

$161 10.1% 48.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Calella

$155 9.7% 64.7% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Calella

$212 13.3% 170% $134

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Calella

$48 3% 21.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Calella

$63 3.9% 25.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $904 in Calella. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Calella are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $56 in Calella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $273 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Calella

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,862

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Calella 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Calella

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 Calella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Calella is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,394 in Calella. 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 $455 there versus $904 in Calella.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Calella. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $560 in Calella. 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 $925 in Chiang Mai and $1,596 in Calella. 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 $925 in Chiang Mai to $1,596 in Calella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Calella makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.