Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Motril and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,480 in Motril, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Motril
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Motril Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Motril

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,480

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,480 per month in Motril vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Motril $1,480
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,218 per month in Motril vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Motril $2,218
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,955 per month in Motril vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Motril $2,955
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Motril 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

$16.71 €14.97

$2.24 ฿75.6

645.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.5

$19.00 ฿641

196.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 €5.99

$5.55 ฿187

20.54%

Cappuccino

$2.07 €1.85

$1.67 ฿56.5

23.95%

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

$2.75 €2.46

$0.64 ฿21.54

329.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.31 ฿10.31

254.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 €4.14

$2.36 ฿79.5

95.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.10

$3.66 ฿124

55.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.44 ฿48.46

27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.33 ฿45.03

7.52%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.28 ฿77.1

76.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 €12.08

$16.45 ฿555

-17.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 €3.91

$2.78 ฿93.9

56.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.24 €14.54

$9.31 ฿314

74.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.35 ฿79.4

-7.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.97 ฿32.79

134.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.60 ฿53.9

42.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.56

$1.50 ฿50.6

90.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.28 ฿43.11

38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 €2.48

$1.10 ฿37.18

151.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.71 ฿23.82

130.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.49 ฿16.36

51.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.08

$4.14 ฿140

64.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 €8.18

$17.52 ฿591

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.61 ฿54.5

-4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$2.78 ฿93.9

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.87 ฿29.30

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.16 €28.80

$54.1 ฿1,825

-40.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.16 ฿39.04

72.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.53 ฿17.80

115.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.86 €20.47

$2.42 ฿81.7

844.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.45 ฿48.88

20.69%

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

$25.9K €23.2K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

22.81%

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

$31.1K €27.9K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

15.52%

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

$79.3 €71.0

$62.2 ฿2,098

27.52%

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

$15.89 €14.23

$12.17 ฿411

30.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 €20.42

$20.12 ฿679

13.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.89 €44.68

$37.31 ฿1,259

33.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.54 €13.91

$3.77 ฿127

312.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 €6.05

$6.49 ฿219

4.01%

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

$252 €225

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K €12.0K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-9.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.82 €30.29

$53.4 ฿1,801

-36.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.08 €25.15

$24.64 ฿831

13.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 €71.6

$91.5 ฿3,087

-12.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.51 €40.76

$71.9 ฿2,427

-36.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 €794

$482 ฿16.3K

83.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 €602

$309 ฿10.4K

117.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,223

$1,006 ฿33.9K

35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €910

$633 ฿21.4K

60.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,261 €2,920

$2,363 ฿79.7K

37.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,245 €2,011

$1,589 ฿53.6K

41.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 €1,529

$590 ฿19.9K

189.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Motril: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Motril

$672 45.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 54.1% $363

Groceries & Markets

Motril

$267 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.3% $33

Eating Out

Motril

$229 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.1% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Motril

$118 8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 19.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Motril

$84 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Motril

$63 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.7% $13

Getting Around

Motril

$46 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 32.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $887 in Motril 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 Motril are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Motril versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Motril

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

6 h ahead of Motril

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,939

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

Motril Chiang Mai 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Motril
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

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

Motril 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 $2,220 per month in Motril 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 $887 in Motril.

Kindergarten costs $252 per month in Motril 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 14% more in Motril, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,480 in Motril 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 $1,480 in Motril. 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, Motril makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.