Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,443

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,443 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $1,443
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $2,226
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,008 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $3,008
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santiago de Compostela costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santiago de Compostela sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.64 €12.25

$2.24 ฿75.7

508.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.7

$19.00 ฿642

255.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 €8.47

$5.55 ฿188

69.91%

Cappuccino

$1.94 €1.74

$1.67 ฿56.6

16.17%

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

$2.78 €2.50

$0.64 ฿21.56

334.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.92

$0.31 ฿10.32

587.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 €2.66

$2.36 ฿79.6

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.55

$3.66 ฿124

7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.95 ฿65.8

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.44 ฿48.51

-19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.33 ฿45.07

0.75%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.52

$2.28 ฿77.1

22.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 €8.22

$16.45 ฿556

-44.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 €6.06

$2.78 ฿94.0

142.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 €14.83

$9.31 ฿314

77.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.35 ฿79.5

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$0.97 ฿32.82

119.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 €2.55

$1.50 ฿50.7

89.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.28 ฿43.15

54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.10 ฿37.22

33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.03

$0.71 ฿23.84

60.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.49 ฿16.38

69.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.75 €5.17

$4.14 ฿140

38.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 €4.41

$17.52 ฿592

-71.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.61 ฿54.5

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.13

$2.78 ฿94.0

-14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.87 ฿29.33

44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.86 €29.53

$54.1 ฿1,827

-39.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 €4.40

$1.16 ฿39.08

322.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.53 ฿17.82

156.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.97 €17.05

$2.42 ฿81.8

683.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.45 ฿48.93

22.07%

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

$34.9K €31.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

65.50%

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

$29.7K €26.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

10.21%

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

$152 €137

$62.2 ฿2,100

145.23%

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

$21.57 €19.38

$12.17 ฿411

77.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.85 €29.51

$20.12 ฿680

63.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 €45.56

$37.31 ฿1,260

35.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.27 €2.04

$3.77 ฿127

-39.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.17

$6.49 ฿219

57.16%

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

$335 €301

$736 ฿24.9K

-54.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,280 €7,440

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-43.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €81.0

$53.4 ฿1,802

68.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 €57.6

$24.64 ฿832

160.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

12.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 €84.3

$71.9 ฿2,429

30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 €664

$482 ฿16.3K

53.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$309 ฿10.4K

66.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 €962

$1,006 ฿34.0K

6.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 €780

$633 ฿21.4K

37.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,100 €2,786

$2,363 ฿79.8K

31.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,153 €1,934

$1,589 ฿53.7K

35.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,694

$590 ฿19.9K

219.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

5.57

-46.86%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: 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

Santiago de Compostela

$515 35.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 40% $206

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$239 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 2.1% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$207 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54.3% $112

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$203 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 61.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$158 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.3% $21

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$50 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $739 in Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Santiago de Compostela versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

23:04 11:04 PM

6 h ahead of Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

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

Santiago de Compostela Chiang Mai 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de Compostela
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

Santiago de Compostela vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela costs about 54% 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 $2,164 per month in Santiago de Compostela 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 $739 in Santiago de Compostela.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Santiago de Compostela and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Santiago de Compostela. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela 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 $1,443 in Santiago de Compostela. 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, Santiago de Compostela makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.