Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novelda and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,617 in Novelda, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Novelda
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Novelda Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Novelda

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,617

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,617 per month in Novelda vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Novelda $1,617
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,423 per month in Novelda vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Novelda $2,423
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,228 per month in Novelda vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Novelda $3,228
Chiang Mai $1,999

Novelda costs about 73% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Novelda sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.85 €15.00

$2.13 ฿71.7

691.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.3

$18.62 ฿625

203.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 €10.00

$5.60 ฿188

100.54%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$1.66 ฿55.9

35.54%

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

$2.05 €1.83

$0.65 ฿21.73

215.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.23

$0.30 ฿10.24

363.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 €2.69

$2.32 ฿78.0

30.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$3.67 ฿123

-7.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.02 ฿67.7

-43.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.41 ฿47.29

-1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.39 ฿46.75

10.79%

Eggs

$3.34 €2.97

$2.37 ฿79.5

40.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.40 €13.70

$16.52 ฿555

-6.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 €8.35

$2.67 ฿89.7

251.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 €14.97

$9.02 ฿303

86.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.40 ฿80.6

15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.04 ฿34.98

74.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.66 ฿55.7

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.56 ฿52.4

76.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.24 ฿41.57

54.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.09 ฿36.50

72.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.76 ฿25.59

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$0.51 ฿17.27

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.52 €5.80

$4.12 ฿138

58.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$17.93 ฿602

-68.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.62 ฿54.5

-28.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.82 ฿94.8

-39.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.93 ฿31.39

62.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.81 €26.53

$52.9 ฿1,777

-43.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.18 ฿39.52

102.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.16

$0.17 ฿5.76

670.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 €22.55

$1.81 ฿60.9

1300.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.47 ฿49.47

24.49%

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

$31.7K €28.2K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

50.91%

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

$31.4K €27.9K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

18.45%

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

$130 €115

$62.6 ฿2,101

107.13%

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

$15.83 €14.09

$11.60 ฿390

36.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.50 €26.26

$20.30 ฿682

45.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 €40.44

$37.88 ฿1,272

19.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.79 €14.95

$3.70 ฿124

353.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 €7.30

$6.51 ฿219

25.96%

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

$396 €352

$727 ฿24.4K

-45.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,758

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-33.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 €63.7

$53.5 ฿1,798

33.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.19 €31.32

$24.80 ฿833

41.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.3

$90.4 ฿3,036

13.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €93.9

$72.0 ฿2,418

46.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 €820

$481 ฿16.2K

91.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 €611

$310 ฿10.4K

121.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,178

$1,058 ฿35.5K

25.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 €957

$659 ฿22.1K

63.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,364 €2,994

$2,418 ฿81.2K

39.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,266 €2,016

$1,609 ฿54.0K

40.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

5.57

-46.32%

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

Last update for Novelda: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novelda

$686 42.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 54.8% $376

Groceries & Markets

Novelda

$276 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 14.3% $40

Eating Out

Novelda

$231 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 66.9% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novelda

$175 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 46% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Novelda

$142 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 23.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Novelda

$62 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 17.7% $11

Getting Around

Novelda

$45 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 31.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $921 in Novelda versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Novelda versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Novelda

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

17:29 5:29 PM

6 h ahead of Novelda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,771

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Novelda
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

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

Novelda costs about 73% 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 $2,425 per month in Novelda 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 $481 there versus $921 in Novelda.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Novelda and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Novelda, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,617 in Novelda and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,617 in Novelda. 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.