Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pamplona and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,934 in Pamplona, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Pamplona
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Pamplona Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pamplona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,934

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Pamplona vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pamplona $1,934
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,725 per month in Pamplona vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pamplona $2,725
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,515 per month in Pamplona vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pamplona $3,515
Chiang Mai $1,979

Pamplona costs about 107% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pamplona sits 42% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 €15.77

$2.24 ฿75.6

686.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 €60.0

$19.00 ฿641

252.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 €11.86

$5.55 ฿187

138.74%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.56

$1.67 ฿56.5

71.26%

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

$3.05 €2.73

$0.64 ฿21.54

376.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.80

$0.31 ฿10.31

548.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.09

$2.36 ฿79.5

46.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$3.66 ฿124

19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.95 ฿65.7

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.44 ฿48.46

63.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.33 ฿45.03

23.31%

Eggs

$2.92 €2.62

$2.28 ฿77.1

28.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €14.99

$16.45 ฿555

1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 €7.04

$2.78 ฿93.9

182.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.61 €18.46

$9.31 ฿314

121.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$2.35 ฿79.4

22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$0.97 ฿32.79

122.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.60 ฿53.9

46.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$1.50 ฿50.6

89.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.28 ฿43.11

29.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.10 ฿37.18

56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.71 ฿23.82

56.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.49 ฿16.36

208.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.11

$4.14 ฿140

64.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.13

$17.52 ฿591

-67.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.61 ฿54.5

5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.03

$2.78 ฿93.9

21.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.87 ฿29.30

109.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 €46.88

$54.1 ฿1,825

-3.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 €3.03

$1.16 ฿39.04

192.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.5 €45.21

$2.42 ฿81.7

1985.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.45 ฿48.88

24.14%

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

$35.6K €31.9K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

69.21%

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

$29.3K €26.3K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

8.87%

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

$179 €160

$62.2 ฿2,098

188.02%

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

$14.03 €12.57

$12.17 ฿411

15.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 €38.66

$20.12 ฿679

114.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.11 €37.71

$37.31 ฿1,259

12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.57 €13.94

$3.77 ฿127

313.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.85

$6.49 ฿219

52.23%

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

$366 €328

$736 ฿24.8K

-50.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 €67.2

$53.4 ฿1,801

40.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.09 €29.63

$24.64 ฿831

34.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 €65.3

$91.5 ฿3,087

-20.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$71.9 ฿2,427

56.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 €877

$482 ฿16.3K

103.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$866 €776

$309 ฿10.4K

180.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 €1,280

$1,006 ฿33.9K

42.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 €987

$633 ฿21.4K

73.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,676 €3,292

$2,363 ฿79.7K

55.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 €2,727

$1,589 ฿53.6K

91.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,108 €1,888

$590 ฿19.9K

257.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

5.57

-22.80%

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

Last update for Pamplona: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pamplona

$866 44.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 64.3% $557

Groceries & Markets

Pamplona

$313 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 25.2% $79

Eating Out

Pamplona

$261 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 70.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pamplona

$236 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Pamplona

$132 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 17.8% $24

Getting Around

Pamplona

$63 * 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2.6% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Pamplona

$62 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.7% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Pamplona 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 Pamplona are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Pamplona versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Pamplona

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

6 h ahead of Pamplona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

205,762

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

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Between locations

Pamplona Chiang Mai 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Pamplona
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

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

Pamplona costs about 107% 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 $2,901 per month in Pamplona 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 $979 in Pamplona.

Kindergarten costs $366 per month in Pamplona 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 34% more in Pamplona, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,934 in Pamplona 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 $1,934 in Pamplona. 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, Pamplona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.