Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,066 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,066

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,066 per month in San Sebastian vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Sebastian $2,066
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,076 per month in San Sebastian vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Sebastian $3,076
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,086 per month in San Sebastian vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Sebastian $4,086
Chiang Mai $1,979

San Sebastian costs about 121% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Sebastian sits 52% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.85 €16.89

$2.24 ฿75.6

741.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 €55.5

$19.00 ฿641

225.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 €9.66

$5.55 ฿187

94.23%

Cappuccino

$2.31 €2.07

$1.67 ฿56.5

38.32%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$0.64 ฿21.55

343.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.31 ฿10.31

425.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.36 ฿79.6

38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 €3.31

$3.66 ฿124

1.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.95 ฿65.8

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.01

$1.44 ฿48.48

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.33 ฿45.04

38.35%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.24

$2.28 ฿77.1

58.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.61 €20.26

$16.45 ฿555

37.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.08

$2.78 ฿93.9

184.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.50

$9.31 ฿314

121.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.35 ฿79.4

6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 €2.48

$0.97 ฿32.80

184.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.96

$1.60 ฿53.9

106.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$1.50 ฿50.6

94.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.28 ฿43.12

103.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.10 ฿37.19

84.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$0.71 ฿23.82

67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.49 ฿16.37

110.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.09

$4.14 ฿140

64.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.59

$17.52 ฿591

-57.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.61 ฿54.5

6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.78 ฿94.0

-36.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 €1.94

$0.87 ฿29.31

148.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.69 €30.19

$54.1 ฿1,826

-37.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 €6.11

$1.16 ฿39.06

487.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.53 ฿17.80

67.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.07 €19.78

$2.42 ฿81.8

811.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.45 ฿48.90

17.24%

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

$35.2K €31.5K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

67.18%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

15.16%

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

$136 €122

$62.2 ฿2,098

118.66%

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

$25.48 €22.84

$12.17 ฿411

109.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.61 €31.91

$20.12 ฿679

76.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.24 €37.85

$37.31 ฿1,259

13.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.46

$3.77 ฿127

416.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 €7.62

$6.49 ฿219

31.12%

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

$454 €406

$736 ฿24.8K

-38.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-5.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

88.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.72 €29.32

$24.64 ฿831

32.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 €66.5

$91.5 ฿3,087

-18.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €119

$71.9 ฿2,428

83.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,317

$482 ฿16.3K

204.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,024 €917

$309 ฿10.4K

231.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,371 €2,124

$1,006 ฿33.9K

135.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,498

$633 ฿21.4K

163.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,813 €8,794

$2,363 ฿79.8K

315.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,360 €4,803

$1,589 ฿53.6K

237.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,011 €2,698

$590 ฿19.9K

410.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

5.57

-47.58%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: 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

San Sebastian

$1K 49.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 69.8% $715

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$327 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.3% $93

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$253 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$197 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$153 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.1% $9

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$54 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 14.5% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,470 in San Sebastian 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 San Sebastian are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Sebastian versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

6 h ahead of San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Sebastian Chiang Mai 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

San Sebastian
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

San Sebastian vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Sebastian costs about 121% 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 $3,099 per month in San Sebastian 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 $1,470 in San Sebastian.

Kindergarten costs $454 per month in San Sebastian 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 40% more in San Sebastian, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,066 in San Sebastian and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,066 in San Sebastian. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, San Sebastian makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.