Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Spanish Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,009 in Spanish Town, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. The total is higher in Spanish Town despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Spanish Town

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,009 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Spanish Town $1,009

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,922 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Spanish Town $1,922

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,834 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Spanish Town $2,834

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Spanish Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Spanish Town are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Spanish Town 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$13.69 JMD 2,158

-83.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

-74.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.42 JMD 1,328

-34.09%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$5.23 JMD 824

-68.07%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.16 JMD 183

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.74 JMD 117

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.19 JMD 345

7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.17 JMD 499

15.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$4.21 JMD 665

-53.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.69 JMD 582

-60.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.64 JMD 259

-18.90%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.53 JMD 557

-35.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.42 JMD 1,801

44.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.34 JMD 1,000

-56.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.17 JMD 1,604

-8.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.07 JMD 958

-61.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.82 JMD 602

-74.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.56 JMD 1,193

-78.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.97 JMD 469

-49.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.23 JMD 509

-60.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.03 JMD 320

-45.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$3.13 JMD 493

-77.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.46 JMD 229

-66.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.58 JMD 1,510

-56.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.44 JMD 1,804

53.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.88 JMD 455

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.91 JMD 616

-28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.28 JMD 202

-9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.11 JMD 490

-82.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.21 JMD 979

-61.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.41 JMD 222

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-52.18%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

-17.17%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$171 JMD 26.9K

-63.59%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$28.96 JMD 4,567

-57.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$52.6 JMD 8,298

-61.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.32 JMD 2,101

-51.28%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$360 JMD 56.8K

104.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

76.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$23.26 JMD 3,667

129.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$31.95 JMD 5,038

-22.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$104 JMD 16.4K

-31.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$624 JMD 98.4K

61.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$513 JMD 80.9K

23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,178 JMD 185.7K

-49.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Spanish Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Spanish Town

$383 38% 63.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Spanish Town

$107 10.6% 1.2% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Spanish Town

$252 25% 167% $158

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Spanish Town

$222 22% 187% $145

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7% 72.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6% 47% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 100% higher in Spanish Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $74 in Spanish Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $383 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

07:01 7:01 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

131,056

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Spanish Town 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Spanish Town

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 Spanish Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spanish Town costs about 8% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,514 in Spanish Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $74 in Spanish Town. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Spanish Town, 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,009 in Spanish Town. 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 $1,009 in Spanish Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Spanish Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.