Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cartagena, Spain

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Chiang Mai $936
Cartagena $1,425

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

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cartagena $2,101

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

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cartagena $2,778

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 34% less than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.84 €12.40

-83.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$56.2 €50.3

-66.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.95 €7.12

-30.19%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.47 €2.21

-32.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.56 €2.30

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.82 €1.63

-82.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.42 €3.06

-30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.86 €3.46

-5.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.22 €1.09

59.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.19 €1.06

21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.63 €2.35

-49.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.96 €3.54

-42.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.82 €11.48

28.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.71 €6.01

-58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.75 €16.79

-50.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.37 €2.12

-0.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.45 €2.19

-60.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.58 €1.42

1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.20 €2.87

-53.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.28 €1.14

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.26 €1.13

-12.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.53 €1.37

-53.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.69 €0.62

-28.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.71 €5.11

-27.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.30 €5.64

178.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.21 €1.08

33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.17 €1.05

137.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.48 €1.32

-41.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.08 €9.93

388.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.65 €5.06

-79.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.23 €2.00

-76.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$27.72 €24.83

-91.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.77 €1.59

-18.08%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$34.6K €30.9K

-39.06%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$29.9K €26.7K

-9.76%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$211 €189

-70.55%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$19.43 €17.40

-37.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.27 €26.21

-31.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$41.23 €36.92

-9.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.81 €11.47

-70.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.72 €6.91

-15.93%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$406 €364

81.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,651 €2,374

456.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$46.46 €41.61

14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$34.88 €31.24

-29.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$60.6 €54.2

51.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$101 €90.5

-28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$596 €534

-19.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$490 €439

-36.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$872 €781

15.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$720 €644

-11.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,737 €1,556

36.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,427 €1,278

11.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,704 €1,526

-65.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.06

37.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cartagena

$490 34.4% 58.5% $181

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cartagena

$269 18.9% 14.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cartagena

$109 7.7% 0.6% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cartagena

$260 18.2% 175% $165

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cartagena

$207 14.5% 166% $129

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 44.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cartagena

$57 4% 12.7% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $596 in Cartagena. 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: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $56 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $269 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

22:20 10:20 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

218,050

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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 Cartagena 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: 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.

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Chiang Mai. 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $596 in Cartagena. 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 $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,425 in Cartagena – 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, Chiang Mai and Cartagena 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.