Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Figueres

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,771 in Figueres, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Figueres
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Figueres Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Figueres

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,771 in Figueres, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Figueres $1,771

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,506 in Figueres, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Figueres $2,506

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,241 in Figueres, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Figueres $3,241

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper than Figueres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Figueres is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$18.70 €16.67

-87.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$44.98 €40.09

-56.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$9.42 €8.39

-40.45%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.31 €2.06

-28.14%

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

$0.70 ฿23.61

$2.22 €1.98

-68.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$1.44 €1.28

-78.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.1

$2.76 €2.46

-12.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$3.83 €3.42

-3.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.19 €1.06

63.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.47

$1.51 €1.34

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.03

$2.37 €2.11

-44.73%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$3.51 €3.13

-37.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$13.47 €12.00

23.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$8.24 €7.34

-66.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$15.73 €14.02

-42.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$2.49 €2.22

-4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.58

$1.61 €1.43

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$2.07 €1.85

-21.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.59 €2.31

-42.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.53

$1.84 €1.64

-29.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.37

$2.04 €1.82

-45.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.30

$1.38 €1.23

-47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.73 €0.65

-27.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$6.20 €5.52

-30.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$5.47 €4.87

228.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.18 €1.05

33.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.17 €1.93

30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.13

$1.58 €1.41

-45.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

$36.75 €32.75

44.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.66

$3.51 €3.13

-65.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.16

$1.33 €1.18

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$25.43 €22.66

-90.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.40

$1.74 €1.55

-17.24%

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

$20.7K ฿699.2K

$34.6K €30.8K

-40.08%

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

$26.8K ฿904.0K

$28.1K €25.1K

-4.73%

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

$62.3 ฿2,102

$160 €143

-61.04%

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

$12.11 ฿408

$18.11 €16.14

-33.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$50.2 €44.76

-60.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,250

$45.34 €40.41

-18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$16.93 €15.09

-77.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$8.92 €7.95

-27.13%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$478 €426

65.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.5K

$7,211 €6,427

105.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$86.4 €77.0

-37.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$36.10 €32.18

-31.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,064

$89.1 €79.4

1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$128 €114

-44.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$903 €805

-49.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$764 €681

-61.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$1,321 €1,177

-31.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$1,043 €929

-46.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$3,054 €2,722

-36.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$2,163 €1,928

-33.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$1,500 €1,337

-60.61%

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 Figueres: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Figueres

$764 43.1% 157% $466

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Figueres

$268 15.1% 13.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Figueres

$153 8.6% 41.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Figueres

$228 12.9% 142% $134

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Figueres

$242 13.7% 208% $163

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Figueres

$53 3% 12.4% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Figueres

$63 3.6% 26.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $903 in Figueres. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Figueres are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $45 in Figueres. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $268 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Figueres

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

08:28 8:28 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

47,879

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Figueres 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Figueres

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 Figueres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Figueres costs about 91% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,656 in Figueres. 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 $903 in Figueres.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $478 in Figueres. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Figueres, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $925 in Chiang Mai and $1,771 in Figueres. 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 $1,771 in Figueres. 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, Figueres makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.