Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mataro and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,844 in Mataro, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mataro, Spain
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mataro
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,844
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,844 per month in Mataro vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mataro $1,844
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,696 per month in Mataro vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mataro $2,696
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,548 per month in Mataro vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mataro $3,548
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Mataro costs about 97% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mataro sits 35% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.70 €14.95
$2.24 ฿75.6
645.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.6 €50.7
$19.00 ฿641
198.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.34 €11.95
$5.55 ฿187
140.36%
Cappuccino
$2.04 €1.83
$1.67 ฿56.5
22.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 €2.08
$0.64 ฿21.54
264.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 €1.69
$0.31 ฿10.31
509.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.01 €3.59
$2.36 ฿79.5
69.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 €3.04
$3.66 ฿124
-7.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 €1.10
$1.95 ฿65.7
-36.92%
White Bread (500g)
$2.08 €1.86
$1.44 ฿48.46
44.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 €1.33
$1.33 ฿45.03
11.28%
Eggs
$3.99 €3.57
$2.28 ฿77.1
75.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.04 €15.26
$16.45 ฿555
3.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.27 €8.31
$2.78 ฿93.9
233.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.59 €17.55
$9.31 ฿314
110.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.64 €2.36
$2.35 ฿79.4
12.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 €1.76
$0.97 ฿32.79
102.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.69 €2.41
$1.60 ฿53.9
68.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.86 €2.56
$1.50 ฿50.6
90.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 €1.86
$1.28 ฿43.11
61.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.28 €2.04
$1.10 ฿37.18
107.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 €1.36
$0.71 ฿23.82
114.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.79
$0.49 ฿16.36
79.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.35 €5.68
$4.14 ฿140
53.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.05
$17.52 ฿591
-67.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.99
$1.61 ฿54.5
-31.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.78 ฿93.9
-17.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.54 €2.28
$0.87 ฿29.30
191.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.37 €30.78
$54.1 ฿1,825
-36.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.30 €2.06
$1.16 ฿39.04
98.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 €0.96
$0.53 ฿17.80
101.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.06 €26.03
$2.42 ฿81.7
1100.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.45 ฿48.88
20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K €28.9K
$21.1K ฿710.5K
53.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.0K €28.7K
$26.9K ฿909.0K
18.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 €165
$62.2 ฿2,098
196.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.18 €10.91
$12.17 ฿411
0.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.34 €26.28
$20.12 ฿679
45.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 €54.5
$37.31 ฿1,259
62.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.76 €12.32
$3.77 ฿127
264.99%
Cinema Ticket
$10.81 €9.68
$6.49 ฿219
66.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$500 €447
$736 ฿24.8K
-32.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,830 €7,013
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-46.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 €78.0
$53.4 ฿1,801
63.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.89 €35.73
$24.64 ฿831
61.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.9 €86.7
$91.5 ฿3,087
5.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 €102
$71.9 ฿2,427
58.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$940 €842
$482 ฿16.3K
94.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 €698
$309 ฿10.4K
152.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,333 €1,194
$1,006 ฿33.9K
32.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,172 €1,050
$633 ฿21.4K
85.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,286 €2,943
$2,363 ฿79.7K
39.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,846 €2,549
$1,589 ฿53.6K
79.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mataro
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,861 €1,667
$590 ฿19.9K
215.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.28
5.57
-41.11%

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

Last update for Mataro: 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
Mataro
$780
Chiang Mai
$309 60.4% $471
Groceries & Markets
Mataro
$310
Chiang Mai
$234 24.4% $76
Eating Out
Mataro
$242
Chiang Mai
$78 67.9% $164
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mataro
$226
Chiang Mai
$94 58.1% $131
Clothing & Footwear
Mataro
$152
Chiang Mai
$109 28.5% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Mataro
$82
Chiang Mai
$50 39% $32
Getting Around
Mataro
$52
Chiang Mai
$61 17.6% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $940 in Mataro 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 Mataro are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Mataro versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Mataro
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
13:49 1:49 PM
19:49 7:49 PM
6 h ahead of Mataro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
129,870
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mataro Chiang Mai 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mataro
  • 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
Mataro vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mataro or Chiang Mai?
Mataro costs about 97% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mataro and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,766 per month in Mataro and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mataro or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $940 in Mataro.
How do childcare costs compare in Mataro and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $500 per month in Mataro and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Mataro or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Mataro, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Mataro or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,844 in Mataro and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mataro or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,844 in Mataro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Mataro compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Mataro or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mataro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Mataro vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?