Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Castello de la Plana

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,477 in Castello de la Plana, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Castello de la Plana
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Castello de la Plana Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Castello de la Plana

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Castello de la Plana

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 Castello de la Plana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,477 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Castello de la Plana $1,477

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,147 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Castello de la Plana $2,147

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,818 in Castello de la Plana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Castello de la Plana $2,818

Chiang Mai is about 37% cheaper than Castello de la Plana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Castello de la Plana is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$14.54 €13.03

-84.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$55.4 €49.64

-65.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.89 €7.07

-29.66%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.20 €1.97

-24.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.23 €2.00

-71.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.35 €1.21

-77.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.45 €3.09

-31.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.25 €2.92

12.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.12 €1.00

74.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.58 €1.42

-8.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.61 €1.44

-17.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.95 €2.64

-22.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$14.82 €13.28

11.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.21 €7.36

-66.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.94 €13.39

-37.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.57 €2.30

-8.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.95 €1.75

-50.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.66 €1.49

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.48 €2.22

-39.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.80 €1.61

-28.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.90 €1.70

-42.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.18 €1.06

-39.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.62 €0.56

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.63 €5.94

-37.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.75 €5.15

204.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.01 €0.90

59.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.12 €1.90

31.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.37 €1.23

-36.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$17.82 €15.97

203.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.99 €2.68

-61.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.31 €1.18

-59.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$14.72 €13.19

-83.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.78 €1.59

-18.54%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$30.8K €27.6K

-31.61%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$31.1K €27.8K

-13.27%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$114 €102

-45.27%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$13.52 €12.12

-9.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$25.57 €22.91

-21.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$45.10 €40.42

-17.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.33 €7.46

-22.09%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$558 €500

31.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$9,464 €8,481

56.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$63.1 €56.5

-15.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$21.61 €19.37

14.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$94.4 €84.6

-3.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$103 €92.4

-30.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$732 €656

-34.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$637 €571

-51.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,024 €918

-1.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$863 €774

-26.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,806 €1,618

30.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,390 €1,245

14.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,763 €1,579

-66.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.99

86.29%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Castello de la Plana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Castello de la Plana

$637 43.1% 106% $328

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Castello de la Plana

$261 17.7% 11.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Castello de la Plana

$127 8.6% 16.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Castello de la Plana

$153 10.3% 61.6% $58

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Castello de la Plana

$204 13.8% 164% $127

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Castello de la Plana

$33 2.2% 46.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Castello de la Plana

$62 4.2% 22.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $732 in Castello de la Plana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Castello de la Plana are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $55 in Castello de la Plana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $261 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Castello de la Plana

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

176,238

💱 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Castello de la Plana 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Castello de la Plana

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 Castello de la Plana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $1,477 in Castello de la Plana – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,215 in Castello de la Plana. 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 $732 in Castello de la Plana.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Castello de la Plana. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $558 in Castello de la Plana. 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 $1,477 in Castello de la Plana. 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 $1,477 in Castello de la Plana. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Castello de la Plana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.