Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuengirola and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,702 in Fuengirola, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Fuengirola
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Fuengirola Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fuengirola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,702

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,702 per month in Fuengirola vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fuengirola $1,702
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,554 per month in Fuengirola vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fuengirola $2,554
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,407 per month in Fuengirola vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fuengirola $3,407
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fuengirola costs about 82% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fuengirola sits 25% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.83 €14.22

$2.24 ฿75.7

606.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.2

$19.00 ฿642

258.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 €8.99

$5.55 ฿188

80.36%

Cappuccino

$2.68 €2.41

$1.67 ฿56.6

60.48%

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

$2.43 €2.19

$0.64 ฿21.56

279.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$0.31 ฿10.32

541.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.04

$2.36 ฿79.6

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.91

$3.66 ฿124

18.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.95 ฿65.8

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.44 ฿48.51

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.33 ฿45.07

12.03%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.60

$2.28 ฿77.1

26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.64 €14.06

$16.45 ฿556

-4.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €7.06

$2.78 ฿94.0

182.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 €10.75

$9.31 ฿314

28.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$2.35 ฿79.5

-1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$0.97 ฿32.82

102.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.60 ฿53.9

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.50 ฿50.7

63.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.44

$1.28 ฿43.15

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.10 ฿37.22

43.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.09

$0.71 ฿23.84

70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.49 ฿16.38

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 €5.10

$4.14 ฿140

36.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.91 €6.21

$17.52 ฿592

-60.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.93

$1.61 ฿54.5

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.39

$2.78 ฿94.0

-44.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.87 ฿29.33

152.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.24 €10.10

$54.1 ฿1,827

-79.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.16 ฿39.08

59.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.11

$0.53 ฿17.82

132.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.06 €19.82

$2.42 ฿81.8

811.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.45 ฿48.93

20.69%

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

$33.7K €30.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

60.06%

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

$30.3K €27.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

12.37%

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

$162 €146

$62.2 ฿2,100

160.82%

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

$10.57 €9.50

$12.17 ฿411

-13.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.68 €22.18

$20.12 ฿680

22.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 €40.94

$37.31 ฿1,260

22.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.31 €29.93

$3.77 ฿127

783.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.43 €8.47

$6.49 ฿219

45.30%

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

$383 €344

$736 ฿24.9K

-47.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €9,008

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-32.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 €55.9

$53.4 ฿1,802

16.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.46 €31.86

$24.64 ฿832

43.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 €64.0

$91.5 ฿3,089

-22.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 €72.9

$71.9 ฿2,429

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 €954

$482 ฿16.3K

120.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 €732

$309 ฿10.4K

163.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 €1,581

$1,006 ฿34.0K

74.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 €1,187

$633 ฿21.4K

108.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,565 €3,203

$2,363 ฿79.8K

50.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,700 €2,426

$1,589 ฿53.7K

69.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,753 €1,575

$590 ฿19.9K

197.23%

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 Fuengirola: 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

Fuengirola

$815 47.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.1% $506

Groceries & Markets

Fuengirola

$252 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7.1% $18

Eating Out

Fuengirola

$232 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.6% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fuengirola

$197 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Fuengirola

$112 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 3.4% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Fuengirola

$64 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21.9% $14

Getting Around

Fuengirola

$28 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 119% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,062 in Fuengirola 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 Fuengirola are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Fuengirola versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Fuengirola

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

6 h ahead of Fuengirola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,598

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Fuengirola Chiang Mai 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Fuengirola
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

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

Fuengirola costs about 82% 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 $2,552 per month in Fuengirola 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 $1,062 in Fuengirola.

Kindergarten costs $383 per month in Fuengirola 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 Fuengirola, 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 $1,702 in Fuengirola 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 $1,702 in Fuengirola. 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, Fuengirola makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.