Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Santiago de Compostela $1,443

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,226 in Santiago de Compostela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Santiago de Compostela $2,226

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,008 in Santiago de Compostela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Santiago de Compostela $3,008

Chiang Mai is about 35% cheaper than Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Santiago de Compostela is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$13.64 €12.25

-83.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$67.6 €60.7

-71.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.43 €8.47

-41.15%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.94 €1.74

-13.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.78 €2.49

-76.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.13 €1.92

-85.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.96 €2.66

-20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.95 €3.55

-7.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.21 €1.09

61.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.16 €1.04

24.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.34 €1.20

-0.75%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.80 €2.52

-18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$9.15 €8.22

79.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.75 €6.06

-58.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.50 €14.82

-43.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.09 €1.88

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.13 €1.91

-54.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.49 €1.34

7.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.84 €2.55

-47.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.98 €1.78

-35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.47 €1.32

-25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.14 €1.02

-37.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.83 €0.74

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.75 €5.17

-28.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$4.91 €4.41

256.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.43 €1.29

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.37 €2.13

17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.26 €1.13

-30.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$32.86 €29.52

64.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.90 €4.40

-76.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.36 €1.22

-61.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$18.97 €17.04

-87.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.77 €1.59

-18.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$34.9K €31.3K

-39.58%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$29.7K €26.7K

-9.26%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$152 €137

-59.22%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$21.57 €19.37

-43.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$32.85 €29.51

-38.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$50.7 €45.55

-26.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$2.27 €2.04

66.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.20 €9.17

-36.37%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$335 €301

119.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,280 €7,438

78.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$90.1 €80.9

-40.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$64.1 €57.6

-61.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$103 €92.1

-10.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$93.8 €84.3

-23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$739 €664

-34.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$515 €463

-40.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,070 €961

-6.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$868 €780

-27.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,100 €2,785

-23.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,153 €1,934

-26.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,886 €1,694

-68.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.96

88.18%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7% 66.7% $206

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6% 2.2% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9% 45.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3% 119% $112

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1% 162% $125

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4% 19.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9% 41.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $739 in Santiago de Compostela. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Santiago de Compostela are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $68 in Santiago de Compostela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $239 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

98,687

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Santiago de Compostela 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela costs about 54% 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 $2,164 in Santiago de Compostela. 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 $739 in Santiago de Compostela.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $68 in Santiago de Compostela. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Santiago de Compostela. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela. 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 $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela. 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, Santiago de Compostela makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.