Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Puerto del Rosario

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,586 in Puerto del Rosario, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto del Rosario
Learn more

Puerto del Rosario Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Puerto del Rosario

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Puerto del Rosario

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 Puerto del Rosario actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,586 in Puerto del Rosario, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Puerto del Rosario $1,586

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,377 in Puerto del Rosario, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Puerto del Rosario $2,377

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,169 in Puerto del Rosario, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Puerto del Rosario $3,169

Chiang Mai is about 41% cheaper than Puerto del Rosario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Puerto del Rosario is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$13.58 €12.17

-83.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$68.3 €61.2

-72.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.85 €7.93

-37.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.50 €2.24

-33.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.20 €1.98

-70.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.70 €1.52

-81.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.17 €2.84

-25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.54 €3.17

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.15 €1.03

69.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.43 €1.28

0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.57 €1.40

-15.29%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.31 €2.96

-31.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.04 €10.79

36.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$9.08 €8.14

-69.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.87 €16.02

-47.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.60 €2.33

-9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.49 €2.23

-61.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.27 €2.03

-29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.30 €2.06

-34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.77 €1.58

-27.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.41 €2.16

-54.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.69 €1.52

-57.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.54 €0.48

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.39 €3.93

-5.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$5.59 €5.01

213.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.10 €0.99

46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$0.98 €0.88

183.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.60 €1.44

-45.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$32.11 €28.77

68.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$3.42 €3.07

-66.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.21 €1.98

-76.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$28.50 €25.54

-91.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.51 €1.35

-3.97%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$30.3K €27.1K

-30.48%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$31.1K €27.9K

-13.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$113 €101

-45.02%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$12.04 €10.79

1.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$28.39 €25.44

-29.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$45.65 €40.90

-18.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.85 €14.20

-76.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.76 €7.85

-25.91%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$471 €422

56.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$6,610 €5,923

123.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$86.6 €77.6

-38.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$37.60 €33.69

-34.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$91.1 €81.7

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$124 €111

-42.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$877 €786

-45.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$689 €617

-55.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,372 €1,229

-26.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,009 €904

-37.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,320 €2,975

-28.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,175 €1,949

-26.94%

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 Puerto del Rosario: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Puerto del Rosario

$689 43.4% 123% $380

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Puerto del Rosario

$271 17.1% 15.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Puerto del Rosario

$153 9.6% 40.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Puerto del Rosario

$154 9.7% 62.5% $59

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Puerto del Rosario

$204 12.8% 163% $126

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Puerto del Rosario

$53 3.3% 13.6% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Puerto del Rosario

$63 4% 25.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $877 in Puerto del Rosario. 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 $68 in Puerto del Rosario. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $271 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Puerto del Rosario

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

43,390

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Puerto del Rosario 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Puerto del Rosario

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 Puerto del Rosario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto del Rosario costs about 69% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,378 in Puerto del Rosario. 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 $877 in Puerto del Rosario.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $471 in Puerto del Rosario. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Puerto del Rosario, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,586 in Puerto del Rosario. 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 $1,586 in Puerto del Rosario. 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.