Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santander and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,641 in Santander, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Santander
Learn more

Santander Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Santander

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,641

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Santander vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santander $1,641
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,599 per month in Santander vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santander $2,599
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Santander vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santander $3,557
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santander costs about 75% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santander 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

$16.55 €14.83

$2.24 ฿75.5

638.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.6

$19.00 ฿640

197.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.34 €10.16

$5.55 ฿187

104.32%

Cappuccino

$2.51 €2.25

$1.67 ฿56.4

50.30%

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

$2.54 €2.27

$0.64 ฿21.51

296.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.31 ฿10.29

477.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.98

$2.36 ฿79.5

40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 €3.49

$3.66 ฿123

6.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.95 ฿65.7

-35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 €2.45

$1.44 ฿48.41

90.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.33 ฿44.97

84.21%

Eggs

$3.85 €3.45

$2.28 ฿77.0

68.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.56 €20.22

$16.45 ฿554

37.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.14

$2.78 ฿93.8

186.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 €12.22

$9.31 ฿314

46.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.22

$2.35 ฿79.3

5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.97 ฿32.75

127.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$1.60 ฿53.8

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 €3.24

$1.50 ฿50.6

140.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.28 ฿43.06

47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$1.10 ฿37.14

130.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.30

$0.71 ฿23.79

104.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.75

$0.49 ฿16.34

69.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.60 €6.81

$4.14 ฿140

83.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.99

$17.52 ฿590

-68.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.61 ฿54.4

-22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.78 ฿93.8

-17.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 €1.40

$0.87 ฿29.27

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.79 €15.94

$54.1 ฿1,823

-67.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.61 €5.03

$1.16 ฿39.00

383.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.53 ฿17.78

324.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.74 €35.61

$2.42 ฿81.6

1542.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.45 ฿48.82

20.00%

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

$37.0K €33.2K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

75.70%

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

$29.4K €26.3K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

8.99%

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

$168 €151

$62.2 ฿2,095

170.50%

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

$35.29 €31.62

$12.17 ฿410

189.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.13 €34.17

$20.12 ฿678

89.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.76 €41.00

$37.31 ฿1,257

22.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.81 €17.75

$3.77 ฿127

425.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 €7.83

$6.49 ฿219

34.67%

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

$483 €432

$736 ฿24.8K

-34.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,906 €7,981

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-39.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 €113

$53.4 ฿1,799

137.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 €59.6

$24.64 ฿830

170.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 €80.3

$91.5 ฿3,083

-2.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$71.9 ฿2,424

55.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 €736

$482 ฿16.3K

70.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 €503

$309 ฿10.4K

81.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 €1,349

$1,006 ฿33.9K

49.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 €1,021

$633 ฿21.3K

79.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,220 €2,886

$2,363 ฿79.6K

36.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,658 €2,381

$1,589 ฿53.6K

67.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,866 €1,673

$590 ฿19.9K

216.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Santander: 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

Santander

$562 34.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 45% $253

Groceries & Markets

Santander

$317 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 26.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santander

$242 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.9% $147

Eating Out

Santander

$238 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.4% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Santander

$178 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Santander

$63 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.5% $13

Getting Around

Santander

$41 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $822 in Santander 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 Santander are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Santander versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santander

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

6 h ahead of Santander

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,726

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santander Chiang Mai 9,570 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Santander
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

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

Santander costs about 75% 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 $2,461 per month in Santander 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 $822 in Santander.

Kindergarten costs $483 per month in Santander 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 35% more in Santander, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,641 in Santander 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 $1,641 in Santander. 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, Santander makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.