Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vilagarcia de Arousa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Vilagarcia de Arousa
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Vilagarcia de Arousa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Vilagarcia de Arousa

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,121

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,664 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,664

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,206 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Vilagarcia de Arousa $2,206

Chiang Mai is about 17% cheaper than Vilagarcia de Arousa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Vilagarcia de Arousa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Vilagarcia de Arousa 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$8.72 €7.74

-75.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$37.72 €33.51

-50.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$9.19 €8.16

-39.06%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.79 €1.59

-7.26%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$2.46 €2.18

-73.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$1.58 €1.40

-81.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.39 €2.12

-2.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.38 €3.00

8.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.00 €0.88

102.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.32 €1.18

6.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.73 €1.54

-19.65%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$3.05 €2.71

-22.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.63 €5.89

149.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$7.20 €6.40

-62.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.33 €7.40

8.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.52 €2.24

-4.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.77 €2.46

-62.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.36 €2.10

-29.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.29 €2.04

-31.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$2.07 €1.84

-40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.51 €2.23

-56.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.51 €1.34

-49.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.69 €0.61

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.92 €4.37

-16.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$4.37 €3.88

310.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.08 €0.96

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.01 €1.78

40.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$1.56 €1.39

-40.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$19.24 €17.09

174.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$4.78 €4.24

-75.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.21 €1.08

-85.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$19.13 €16.99

-90.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.74 €1.54

-15.52%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$35.2K €31.3K

-40.29%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$31.0K €27.5K

-14.40%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$151 €134

-58.49%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$16.34 €14.52

-29.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$30.37 €26.98

-33.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$28.00 €24.88

35.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.32 €13.61

-75.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$8.31 €7.38

-21.66%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$271 €241

168.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$9,678 €8,597

71.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$72.1 €64.0

-25.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$30.46 €27.06

-18.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$71.7 €63.7

26.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$132 €117

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$540 €479

-10.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$335 €297

-7.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$770 €684

37.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$499 €444

31.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,433 €1,273

68.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$846 €752

90.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$2,288 €2,033

-74.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.58

55.59%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vilagarcia de Arousa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$335 29.9% 8% $25

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$217 19.4% 8.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$138 12.3% 27% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$197 17.6% 109% $103

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$154 13.7% 101% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$36 3.2% 38.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Vilagarcia de Arousa

$45 4% 12.3% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vilagarcia de Arousa are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $217 in Vilagarcia de Arousa – so Vilagarcia de Arousa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇸 Vilagarcia de Arousa

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

37,689

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vilagarcia de Arousa 9,970 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vilagarcia de Arousa costs about 20% 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 $1,682 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. 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 $481 there versus $540 in Vilagarcia de Arousa.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $271 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,121 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. 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, Vilagarcia de Arousa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.