Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rota and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,657 in Rota, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Rota
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Rota Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rota

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,657

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,657 per month in Rota vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rota $1,657
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,448 per month in Rota vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rota $2,448
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,240 per month in Rota vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rota $3,240
Chiang Mai $1,979

Rota costs about 77% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rota sits 22% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.95 €15.19

$2.24 ฿75.6

656.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 €56.3

$19.00 ฿641

230.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.31 €11.03

$5.55 ฿187

121.80%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.97

$1.67 ฿56.5

31.74%

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

$2.71 €2.43

$0.64 ฿21.55

323.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.31 ฿10.31

516.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.36 ฿79.6

46.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 €4.13

$3.66 ฿124

25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.95 ฿65.8

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.44 ฿48.48

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.33 ฿45.04

33.08%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.98

$2.28 ฿77.1

46.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 €13.88

$16.45 ฿555

-5.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 €7.16

$2.78 ฿93.9

187.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 €13.65

$9.31 ฿314

63.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.35 ฿79.4

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.97 ฿32.80

103.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.60 ฿53.9

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.50 ฿50.6

70.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.28 ฿43.12

27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.10 ฿37.19

88.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.71 ฿23.82

77.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.49 ฿16.37

44.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 €5.77

$4.14 ฿140

55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 €5.89

$17.52 ฿591

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.61 ฿54.5

-26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.09

$2.78 ฿94.0

-16.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.50

$0.87 ฿29.31

91.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.10 €28.77

$54.1 ฿1,826

-40.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.16 ฿39.06

65.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 €1.10

$0.53 ฿17.80

132.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.49 €20.15

$2.42 ฿81.8

829.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.45 ฿48.90

23.45%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

59.48%

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

$31.3K €28.0K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

16.16%

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

$165 €148

$62.2 ฿2,098

164.89%

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

$10.89 €9.76

$12.17 ฿411

-10.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.02 €22.42

$20.12 ฿679

24.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.69 €40.05

$37.31 ฿1,259

19.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.51 €13.90

$3.77 ฿127

311.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 €8.50

$6.49 ฿219

46.07%

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

$856 €767

$736 ฿24.8K

16.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,996 €8,957

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-32.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €80.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

67.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.64 €34.62

$24.64 ฿831

56.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 €75.9

$91.5 ฿3,087

-7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €95.1

$71.9 ฿2,428

47.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 €791

$482 ฿16.3K

82.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 €617

$309 ฿10.4K

122.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,215

$1,006 ฿33.9K

34.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 €917

$633 ฿21.4K

61.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,235 €2,899

$2,363 ฿79.8K

36.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,227 €1,995

$1,589 ฿53.6K

40.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

5.57

-40.93%

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

Last update for Rota: 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

Rota

$688 41.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 55.1% $379

Groceries & Markets

Rota

$270 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 13.1% $35

Eating Out

Rota

$244 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.2% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rota

$201 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Rota

$143 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Rota

$64 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21% $13

Getting Around

Rota

$47 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 30.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $882 in Rota 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Rota versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Rota

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

12:23 12:23 PM

6 h ahead of Rota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,675

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

Rota Chiang Mai 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Rota
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

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

Rota costs about 77% 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 $2,485 per month in Rota 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 $882 in Rota.

Kindergarten costs $856 per month in Rota 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 Rota, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,657 in Rota and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.