Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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Santa Cruz de Tenerife Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,048

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,048 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,048
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,946 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $2,946
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,845 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife $3,845
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santa Cruz de Tenerife costs about 119% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 €18.26

$2.24 ฿75.7

807.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 €54.6

$19.00 ฿642

219.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.88

$5.55 ฿188

98.20%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.79

$1.67 ฿56.6

19.16%

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

$1.87 €1.68

$0.64 ฿21.56

192.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.31 ฿10.32

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 €2.53

$2.36 ฿79.6

19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.95

$3.66 ฿124

-10.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.95 ฿65.8

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.44 ฿48.51

70.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.33 ฿45.07

19.55%

Eggs

$4.13 €3.71

$2.28 ฿77.1

81.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 €17.35

$16.45 ฿556

17.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 €8.99

$2.78 ฿94.0

260.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.56 €15.77

$9.31 ฿314

88.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.35 ฿79.5

18.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$0.97 ฿32.82

139.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.60 ฿53.9

35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$1.50 ฿50.7

71.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.28 ฿43.15

65.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.10 ฿37.22

76.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$0.71 ฿23.84

136.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.49 ฿16.38

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €5.03

$4.14 ฿140

35.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.11

$17.52 ฿592

-54.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.58

$2.78 ฿94.0

-37.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.87 ฿29.33

57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.15 €39.66

$54.1 ฿1,827

-18.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.20 €3.78

$1.16 ฿39.08

262.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.53 ฿17.82

211.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.09 €15.35

$2.42 ฿81.8

606.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.45 ฿48.93

12.41%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

69.56%

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

$31.0K €27.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

15.13%

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

$126 €113

$62.2 ฿2,100

102.70%

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

$22.43 €20.15

$12.17 ฿411

84.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.25 €31.66

$20.12 ฿680

75.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.22

$37.31 ฿1,260

37.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.64 €10.45

$3.77 ฿127

208.75%

Cinema Ticket

$9.74 €8.75

$6.49 ฿219

50.08%

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

$408 €367

$736 ฿24.9K

-44.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,972 €4,466

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-66.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €82.0

$53.4 ฿1,802

71.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.34 €37.14

$24.64 ฿832

67.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 €80.4

$91.5 ฿3,089

-2.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$71.9 ฿2,429

58.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,047

$482 ฿16.3K

141.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 €898

$309 ฿10.4K

223.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 €1,646

$1,006 ฿34.0K

82.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 €1,277

$633 ฿21.4K

124.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,984 €3,579

$2,363 ฿79.8K

68.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,266 €2,036

$1,589 ฿53.7K

42.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,852 €1,664

$590 ฿19.9K

214.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.57

-36.09%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz de Tenerife: 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

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$1,000 48.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 69.1% $691

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$328 16%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.5% $93

Eating Out

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$253 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.3% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$184 9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$151 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$71 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.1% $21

Getting Around

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

$62 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 Tenerife are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

01:08 1:08 AM

7 h ahead of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

209,395

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

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Between locations

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Chiang Mai 11,300 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Cruz de Tenerife costs about 119% 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 $3,072 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 $1,166 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Kindergarten costs $408 per month in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife 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 $2,048 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Santa Cruz de Tenerife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.