Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto de la Cruz and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Puerto de la Cruz
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Puerto de la Cruz Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Puerto de la Cruz

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,912

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,912 per month in Puerto de la Cruz vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto de la Cruz $1,912
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,769 per month in Puerto de la Cruz vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto de la Cruz $2,769
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,625 per month in Puerto de la Cruz vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Puerto de la Cruz $3,625
Chiang Mai $1,914

Puerto de la Cruz costs about 104% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Puerto de la Cruz sits 42% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 €12.04

$2.26 ฿75.4

498.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.4 €54.6

$19.18 ฿641

219.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 €8.95

$5.59 ฿187

79.96%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.29

$1.72 ฿57.6

50.00%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$0.64 ฿21.54

196.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.33 ฿11.18

363.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.36 ฿78.7

21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 €3.20

$3.90 ฿130

-7.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.05 ฿68.6

-46.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.40 ฿46.70

15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.28 ฿42.89

28.91%

Eggs

$3.70 €3.29

$2.25 ฿75.3

64.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 €10.87

$16.94 ฿566

-27.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 €8.89

$2.74 ฿91.6

264.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 €12.10

$9.36 ฿313

45.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.40 ฿80.3

6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.01 ฿33.92

103.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.61 ฿53.9

-8.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.52 ฿50.7

69.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.28 ฿42.90

83.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.11 ฿37.22

108.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 €1.79

$0.72 ฿24.09

180.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.52 ฿17.54

55.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 €3.71

$4.33 ฿145

-3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.80

$17.73 ฿593

-63.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.63 ฿54.4

-15.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.38

$2.85 ฿95.3

-5.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.93 €37.29

$53.9 ฿1,801

-22.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 €2.94

$1.17 ฿39.18

182.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.02

$0.57 ฿19.00

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.23 €25.11

$2.37 ฿79.2

1091.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.45 ฿48.32

13.79%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

71.36%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

7.24%

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

$111 €98.4

$62.3 ฿2,083

77.49%

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

$19.16 €17.04

$12.27 ฿410

56.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 €24.97

$19.97 ฿668

40.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.72 €14.87

$3.76 ฿126

344.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.14

$6.71 ฿224

36.36%

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

$481 €428

$797 ฿26.6K

-39.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,713 €5,971

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-54.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

66.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 €33.71

$25.05 ฿837

51.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 €79.1

$91.6 ฿3,062

-2.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$73.5 ฿2,455

63.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 €1,008

$464 ฿15.5K

144.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$305 ฿10.2K

244.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 €1,682

$915 ฿30.6K

106.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,403

$552 ฿18.5K

185.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,614 €3,215

$1,912 ฿63.9K

89.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,478 €3,093

$1,438 ฿48.1K

141.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,345 €1,196

$595 ฿19.9K

125.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

5.57

-43.45%

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

Last update for Puerto de la Cruz: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto de la Cruz

$1K 54.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 71% $744

Groceries & Markets

Puerto de la Cruz

$275 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 13.4% $37

Eating Out

Puerto de la Cruz

$205 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 61.4% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto de la Cruz

$158 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 40.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto de la Cruz

$151 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 27.4% $41

Getting Around

Puerto de la Cruz

$57 * 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 8.3% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto de la Cruz

$18 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 180% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $464 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 run about 126% higher in Puerto de la Cruz, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto de la Cruz

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

6 h ahead of Puerto de la Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,849

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto de la Cruz Chiang Mai 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto de la Cruz
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

Puerto de la Cruz vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto de la Cruz costs about 104% 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 $2,868 per month in Puerto de la Cruz and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $481 per month in Puerto de la Cruz and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Puerto de la Cruz, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Puerto de la Cruz at $1,912. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto de la Cruz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Puerto de la Cruz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.