Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,532 in Lugo, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Lugo
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Lugo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lugo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,532

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,532 per month in Lugo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lugo $1,532
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,263 per month in Lugo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lugo $2,263
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,994 per month in Lugo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lugo $2,994
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lugo costs about 64% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lugo sits 13% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.18 €11.81

$2.24 ฿75.6

488.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.63

$19.00 ฿641

191.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 €8.86

$5.55 ฿187

78.38%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.87

$1.67 ฿56.5

25.15%

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

$2.78 €2.49

$0.64 ฿21.54

334.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.31 ฿10.31

387.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.92

$2.36 ฿79.5

38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$3.66 ฿124

-40.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.95 ฿65.7

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.44 ฿48.46

-18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.33 ฿45.03

-1.50%

Eggs

$2.64 €2.37

$2.28 ฿77.1

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 €12.20

$16.45 ฿555

-17.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 €5.66

$2.78 ฿93.9

127.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 €14.97

$9.31 ฿314

79.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$2.35 ฿79.4

20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$0.97 ฿32.79

114.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.60 ฿53.9

41.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 €3.16

$1.50 ฿50.6

135.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.28 ฿43.11

-13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.10 ฿37.18

100.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.71 ฿23.82

101.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.49 ฿16.36

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 €5.25

$4.14 ฿140

41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.60 €4.12

$17.52 ฿591

-73.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.61 ฿54.5

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.52

$2.78 ฿93.9

1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.87 ฿29.30

-14.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.10 €30.54

$54.1 ฿1,825

-36.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 €4.77

$1.16 ฿39.04

359.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.53 ฿17.80

156.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.67 €16.72

$2.42 ฿81.7

671.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.45 ฿48.88

19.31%

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

$29.4K €26.3K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

39.44%

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

$30.2K €27.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

12.26%

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

$146 €130

$62.2 ฿2,098

134.13%

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

$19.54 €17.50

$12.17 ฿411

60.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.70 €29.28

$20.12 ฿679

62.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.61 €39.95

$37.31 ฿1,259

19.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.78 €14.14

$3.77 ฿127

318.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 €8.04

$6.49 ฿219

38.37%

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

$343 €307

$736 ฿24.8K

-53.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,492 €7,606

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-42.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €95.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

99.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.6 €65.9

$24.64 ฿831

198.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 €111

$91.5 ฿3,087

34.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €127

$71.9 ฿2,427

97.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 €768

$482 ฿16.3K

77.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 €504

$309 ฿10.4K

82.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 €1,210

$1,006 ฿33.9K

34.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €711

$633 ฿21.4K

25.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,293 €2,950

$2,363 ฿79.7K

39.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 €2,028

$1,589 ฿53.6K

42.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 €1,557

$590 ฿19.9K

194.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

5.57

-46.86%

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

Last update for Lugo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lugo

$563 36.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 45.1% $254

Groceries & Markets

Lugo

$261 17%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 10.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Lugo

$200 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 45.8% $92

Eating Out

Lugo

$198 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 60.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugo

$198 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.2% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Lugo

$63 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.6% $12

Getting Around

Lugo

$49 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 24.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $858 in Lugo 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 Lugo are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Lugo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Lugo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

6 h ahead of Lugo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,214

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

Lugo Chiang Mai 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lugo
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

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

Lugo costs about 64% 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 $2,297 per month in Lugo 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 $858 in Lugo.

Kindergarten costs $343 per month in Lugo 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 11% more in Lugo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,532 in Lugo 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 $1,532 in Lugo. 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, Lugo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.