Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Real and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,454 in Ciudad Real, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Real
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Ciudad Real Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ciudad Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,454

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ciudad Real and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ciudad Real and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,454 per month in Ciudad Real vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ciudad Real $1,454
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,917 per month in Ciudad Real vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ciudad Real $1,917
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ciudad Real vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ciudad Real $2,380
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ciudad Real costs about 55% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ciudad Real sits 7% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 €12.04

$2.24 ฿75.6

500.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.85 €44.65

$19.00 ฿641

162.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.11

$5.55 ฿187

103.24%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.25

$1.67 ฿56.5

50.30%

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

$2.53 €2.27

$0.64 ฿21.54

295.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.31 ฿10.31

551.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.36 ฿79.5

40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.91

$3.66 ฿124

19.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.95 ฿65.7

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.44 ฿48.46

-55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.33 ฿45.03

2.26%

Eggs

$2.64 €2.36

$2.28 ฿77.1

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 €7.92

$16.45 ฿555

-46.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 €5.13

$2.78 ฿93.9

106.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 €9.08

$9.31 ฿314

8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.35 ฿79.4

-2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$0.97 ฿32.79

93.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.60 ฿53.9

2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.50 ฿50.6

34.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.28 ฿43.11

-2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.10 ฿37.18

3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.71 ฿23.82

54.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.49 ฿16.36

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.13 €5.49

$4.14 ฿140

48.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 €4.57

$17.52 ฿591

-70.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.61 ฿54.5

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.78 ฿93.9

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.87 ฿29.30

43.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.96 €9.82

$54.1 ฿1,825

-79.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.16 ฿39.04

62.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.53 ฿17.80

105.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.41 €18.28

$2.42 ฿81.7

743.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.45 ฿48.88

22.07%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

62.40%

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

$30.8K €27.6K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

14.24%

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

$161 €144

$62.2 ฿2,098

158.53%

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

$10.79 €9.66

$12.17 ฿411

-11.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.75 €22.17

$20.12 ฿679

23.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.65 €34.62

$37.31 ฿1,259

3.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$8.36 €7.49

$6.49 ฿219

28.81%

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

$887 €794

$736 ฿24.8K

20.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,798 €2,506

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-81.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €79.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

65.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.07 €34.99

$24.64 ฿831

58.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 €73.6

$91.5 ฿3,087

-10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$71.9 ฿2,427

47.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 €638

$482 ฿16.3K

47.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 €559

$309 ฿10.4K

102.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$661 €592

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-34.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 €494

$633 ฿21.4K

-12.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,105 €990

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-53.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$900 €806

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-43.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,437 €1,287

$590 ฿19.9K

143.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Ciudad Real: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad Real

$625 43%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 50.5% $316

Eating Out

Ciudad Real

$215 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 63.9% $137

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Real

$197 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Real

$196 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 51.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Real

$142 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 23.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Real

$55 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Ciudad Real

$23 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 163% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $712 in Ciudad Real versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ciudad Real are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Ciudad Real versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Ciudad Real vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Ciudad Real wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Ciudad Real

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

01:24 1:24 AM

6 h ahead of Ciudad Real

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,303

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ciudad Real Chiang Mai 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad Real
Chiang Mai

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

Ciudad Real vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Real costs about 55% 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 $2,181 per month in Ciudad Real and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $712 in Ciudad Real.

Kindergarten costs $887 per month in Ciudad Real and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Ciudad Real – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,454 in Ciudad Real and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Ciudad Real makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.