Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elche and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,483 in Elche, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
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Elche Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Elche 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 Elche and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,483 per month in Elche vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elche $1,483
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,201 per month in Elche vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elche $2,201
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,918 per month in Elche vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Elche $2,918
Chiang Mai $1,979

Elche costs about 58% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Elche sits 9% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$2.24 ฿75.5

643.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$19.00 ฿640

195.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 €10.01

$5.55 ฿187

101.26%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.23

$1.67 ฿56.4

49.10%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$0.64 ฿21.51

276.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.31 ฿10.29

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.36 ฿79.5

37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.95

$3.66 ฿123

-9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.95 ฿65.7

-43.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.44 ฿48.41

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.33 ฿44.97

16.54%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.72

$2.28 ฿77.0

32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.81

$16.45 ฿554

-13.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.09

$2.78 ฿93.8

184.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.13

$9.31 ฿314

45.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.35 ฿79.3

8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.97 ฿32.75

98.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.60 ฿53.8

18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.50 ฿50.6

61.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.28 ฿43.06

35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.10 ฿37.14

73.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.93

$0.71 ฿23.79

45.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.49 ฿16.34

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.47 €5.80

$4.14 ฿140

56.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.12

$17.52 ฿590

-67.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.61 ฿54.4

-34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.78 ฿93.8

-62.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.87 ฿29.27

63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.72 €20.36

$54.1 ฿1,823

-58.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 €2.77

$1.16 ฿39.00

166.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.53 ฿17.78

64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.91 €15.15

$2.42 ฿81.6

598.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.45 ฿48.82

21.38%

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

$31.4K €28.1K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

49.09%

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

$31.8K €28.5K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

18.14%

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

$138 €123

$62.2 ฿2,095

121.46%

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

$17.13 €15.35

$12.17 ฿410

40.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.35 €23.61

$20.12 ฿678

30.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.31 €40.60

$37.31 ฿1,257

21.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 €9.96

$3.77 ฿127

194.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 €6.56

$6.49 ฿219

12.94%

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

$692 €620

$736 ฿24.8K

-5.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,979 €8,942

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-32.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 €74.7

$53.4 ฿1,799

56.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 €31.75

$24.64 ฿830

43.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 €76.9

$91.5 ฿3,083

-6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 €77.9

$71.9 ฿2,424

20.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 €596

$482 ฿16.3K

37.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 €524

$309 ฿10.4K

89.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 €867

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-3.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 €771

$633 ฿21.3K

35.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,033 €1,821

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-13.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 €1,327

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-6.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,599 €1,433

$590 ฿19.9K

171.21%

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 Elche: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elche

$585 39.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 47.2% $276

Groceries & Markets

Elche

$253 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7.4% $19

Eating Out

Elche

$237 16%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elche

$181 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 47.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Elche

$131 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 17.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Elche

$60 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 16.1% $9.7

Getting Around

Elche

$36 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 71.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $665 in Elche 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 Elche are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Elche versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Elche

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

6 h ahead of Elche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,293

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Elche Chiang Mai 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Elche
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

Elche vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elche costs about 58% 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 $2,224 per month in Elche 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 $665 in Elche.

Kindergarten costs $692 per month in Elche and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Elche, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,483 in Elche and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,483 in Elche. 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, Elche makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.