Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caleta de Fuste

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,604 in Caleta de Fuste, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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 Caleta de Fuste
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Caleta de Fuste Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Caleta de Fuste

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Caleta de Fuste

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 Caleta de Fuste actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,604 in Caleta de Fuste, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Caleta de Fuste $1,604

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,420 in Caleta de Fuste, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Caleta de Fuste $2,420

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,237 in Caleta de Fuste, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Caleta de Fuste $3,237

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Caleta de Fuste is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.54 €12.13

-83.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$72.3 €64.7

-73.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.80 €9.67

-48.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.60 €2.33

-35.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.20 €1.97

-70.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.64 €1.47

-81.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.01 €2.69

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.59 €3.22

1.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.14 €1.02

71.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.50 €1.34

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.60 €1.43

-16.88%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.66 €3.27

-37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.20 €10.92

34.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.92 €8.89

-71.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.12 €16.23

-48.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.55 €2.29

-7.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.17 €1.94

-55.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.33 €2.09

-31.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.72 €1.54

-12.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.76 €1.58

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.30 €2.06

-52.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.95 €1.75

-63.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.88 €0.78

-44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.53 €4.06

-8.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.78 €6.07

158.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.38 €1.24

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.72 €2.43

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.64 €1.47

-46.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$32.01 €28.67

68.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.30 €2.95

-64.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.21 €1.98

-76.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$28.55 €25.57

-91.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.66 €1.49

-12.65%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$30.1K €26.9K

-29.95%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$32.2K €28.8K

-16.20%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$115 €103

-45.86%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.36 €17.34

-37.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.56 €25.58

-29.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$45.32 €40.59

-17.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.43 €13.82

-75.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.01 €8.07

-27.97%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$480 €430

53.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$6,636 €5,943

122.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$90.1 €80.7

-40.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$38.21 €34.22

-35.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$90.0 €80.6

1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$121 €108

-40.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$894 €801

-46.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$677 €606

-54.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,320 €1,182

-23.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,003 €899

-36.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,232 €2,895

-26.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,170 €1,944

-26.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.15

76.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Caleta de Fuste: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Caleta de Fuste

$677 42.2% 119% $368

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Caleta de Fuste

$286 17.8% 21.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Caleta de Fuste

$152 9.5% 40.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Caleta de Fuste

$163 10.2% 72.3% $68

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Caleta de Fuste

$210 13.1% 170% $132

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Caleta de Fuste

$53 3.3% 13.8% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Caleta de Fuste

$63 4% 26% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $894 in Caleta de Fuste. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $72 in Caleta de Fuste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $286 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Caleta de Fuste

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Caleta de Fuste 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caleta de Fuste

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 Caleta de Fuste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Caleta de Fuste is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,406 in Caleta de Fuste. 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 $482 there versus $894 in Caleta de Fuste.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Caleta de Fuste. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $480 in Caleta de Fuste. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,604 in Caleta de Fuste. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,604 in Caleta de Fuste. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.