Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roquetas de Mar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Roquetas de Mar
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Roquetas de Mar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Roquetas de Mar

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,431

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,431 per month in Roquetas de Mar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Roquetas de Mar $1,431
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,071 per month in Roquetas de Mar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Roquetas de Mar $2,071
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,710 per month in Roquetas de Mar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Roquetas de Mar $2,710
Chiang Mai $1,979

Roquetas de Mar costs about 53% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Roquetas de Mar sits 5% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.60 €14.86

$2.24 ฿75.6

641.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.60

$19.00 ฿641

191.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 €9.34

$5.55 ฿187

87.93%

Cappuccino

$1.96 €1.76

$1.67 ฿56.5

17.37%

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

$2.77 €2.48

$0.64 ฿21.54

332.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.31 ฿10.31

451.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.22 €3.78

$2.36 ฿79.5

78.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$3.66 ฿124

23.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.95 ฿65.7

-35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.44 ฿48.46

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.33 ฿45.03

38.35%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.26

$2.28 ฿77.1

59.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.80 €14.15

$16.45 ฿555

-3.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 €8.25

$2.78 ฿93.9

231.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 €11.97

$9.31 ฿314

43.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.35 ฿79.4

11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.97 ฿32.79

86.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.60 ฿53.9

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.50 ฿50.6

58.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.28 ฿43.11

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.10 ฿37.18

79.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$0.71 ฿23.82

85.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.49 ฿16.36

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.62

$4.14 ฿140

51.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 €4.78

$17.52 ฿591

-69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.61 ฿54.5

-31.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.78 ฿93.9

-38.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.87 ฿29.30

9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.93 €30.39

$54.1 ฿1,825

-37.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.87 €7.05

$1.16 ฿39.04

578.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.10

$0.53 ฿17.80

130.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.04 €16.16

$2.42 ฿81.7

645.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.45 ฿48.88

29.66%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

64.61%

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

$31.5K €28.2K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

16.83%

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

$134 €120

$62.2 ฿2,098

115.07%

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

$15.92 €14.26

$12.17 ฿411

30.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.37 €23.61

$20.12 ฿679

31.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.37 €32.58

$37.31 ฿1,259

-2.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$8.62 €7.72

$6.49 ฿219

32.82%

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

$397 €356

$736 ฿24.8K

-46.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,445

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-28.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.0 €65.4

$53.4 ฿1,801

36.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.21 €31.54

$24.64 ฿831

42.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.0 €85.1

$91.5 ฿3,087

3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$71.9 ฿2,427

65.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €502

$482 ฿16.3K

16.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 €448

$309 ฿10.4K

61.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 €697

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-22.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €528

$633 ฿21.4K

-6.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,977 €1,770

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-16.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,648 €1,476

$1,589 ฿53.6K

3.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,310 €1,174

$590 ฿19.9K

122.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

5.57

-42.91%

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

Last update for Roquetas de Mar: 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

Roquetas de Mar

$500 34.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 38.2% $191

Groceries & Markets

Roquetas de Mar

$269 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 13% $35

Eating Out

Roquetas de Mar

$236 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roquetas de Mar

$176 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 46.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Roquetas de Mar

$145 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Roquetas de Mar

$54 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.2% $3.3

Getting Around

Roquetas de Mar

$52 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 18.6% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $560 in Roquetas de Mar 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 Roquetas de Mar are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Roquetas de Mar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Roquetas de Mar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:46 1:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

6 h ahead of Roquetas de Mar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,510

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

Roquetas de Mar Chiang Mai 9,750 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Roquetas de Mar
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

Roquetas de Mar vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roquetas de Mar costs about 53% 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 $2,147 per month in Roquetas de Mar 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 $560 in Roquetas de Mar.

Kindergarten costs $397 per month in Roquetas de Mar 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 15% more in Roquetas de Mar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar 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 $1,431 in Roquetas de Mar. 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, Roquetas de Mar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.