Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de La Palma and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
Learn more

Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,643

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,643 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,643
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,423 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,423
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,203 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,203
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santa Cruz de La Palma costs about 76% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Cruz de La Palma sits 21% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.09 €15.35

$2.24 ฿75.7

662.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.5

$19.00 ฿642

195.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €10.10

$5.55 ฿188

102.52%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.18

$1.67 ฿56.6

45.51%

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

$2.50 €2.25

$0.64 ฿21.56

290.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.31 ฿10.32

483.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.36 ฿79.6

46.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.58

$3.66 ฿124

9.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.44 ฿48.51

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.33 ฿45.07

21.80%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$2.28 ฿77.1

45.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 €12.09

$16.45 ฿556

-18.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.18 €7.35

$2.78 ฿94.0

194.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.80 €14.20

$9.31 ฿314

69.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.35 ฿79.5

10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.97 ฿32.82

115.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.60 ฿53.9

30.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.35

$1.50 ฿50.7

74.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.28 ฿43.15

40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.10 ฿37.22

75.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.71 ฿23.84

87.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.49 ฿16.38

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 €5.57

$4.14 ฿140

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$17.52 ฿592

-67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.61 ฿54.5

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.78 ฿94.0

-24.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 €1.44

$0.87 ฿29.33

83.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.40 €29.11

$54.1 ฿1,827

-40.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 €3.61

$1.16 ฿39.08

246.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.53 ฿17.82

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.84 €20.52

$2.42 ฿81.8

843.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.45 ฿48.93

19.31%

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

$33.8K €30.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

60.66%

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

$31.0K €27.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

15.17%

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

$143 €128

$62.2 ฿2,100

129.76%

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

$17.79 €15.98

$12.17 ฿411

46.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 €26.46

$20.12 ฿680

46.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.18 €39.68

$37.31 ฿1,260

18.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 €14.27

$3.77 ฿127

321.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 €8.08

$6.49 ฿219

38.52%

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

$469 €421

$736 ฿24.9K

-36.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,421 €7,564

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-42.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €78.0

$53.4 ฿1,802

62.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 €32.96

$24.64 ฿832

48.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 €82.2

$91.5 ฿3,089

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €103

$71.9 ฿2,429

58.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 €809

$482 ฿16.3K

86.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 €614

$309 ฿10.4K

121.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 €1,226

$1,006 ฿34.0K

35.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €912

$633 ฿21.4K

60.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,275 €2,942

$2,363 ฿79.8K

38.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,247 €2,019

$1,589 ฿53.7K

41.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,341 €1,204

$590 ฿19.9K

127.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$684 41.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 54.8% $375

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$266 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12% $32

Eating Out

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$242 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$190 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.3% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$148 9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 26.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$62 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.1% $12

Getting Around

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 22.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 Santa Cruz de La Palma are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Santa Cruz de La Palma versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

7 h ahead of Santa Cruz de La Palma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,441

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz de La Palma Chiang Mai 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz de La Palma
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

Santa Cruz de La Palma vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz de La Palma costs about 76% 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 $2,464 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 $900 in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Kindergarten costs $469 per month in Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 14% more in Santa Cruz de La Palma, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 $1,643 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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, Santa Cruz de La Palma makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.