Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,009 in Spanish Town, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. The total is higher in Spanish Town despite lower rent and utilities.

48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Spanish Town vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Spanish Town $1,009
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,922 per month in Spanish Town vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Spanish Town $1,922
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,834 per month in Spanish Town vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Spanish Town $2,834
Chiang Mai $1,979

Spanish Town costs about 8% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Spanish Town and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Spanish Town 26% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 JMD 2,158

$2.24 ฿75.7

511.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

$19.00 ฿642

291.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 JMD 1,328

$5.55 ฿188

51.71%

Cappuccino

$5.23 JMD 824

$1.67 ฿56.6

213.17%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$0.64 ฿21.56

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.31 ฿10.32

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$2.36 ฿79.6

-7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 499

$3.66 ฿124

-13.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.21 JMD 665

$1.95 ฿65.8

115.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 JMD 582

$1.44 ฿48.51

156.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.33 ฿45.07

23.31%

Eggs

$3.53 JMD 557

$2.28 ฿77.1

54.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 JMD 1,801

$16.45 ฿556

-30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,000

$2.78 ฿94.0

128.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 JMD 1,604

$9.31 ฿314

9.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$2.35 ฿79.5

158.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 602

$0.97 ฿32.82

293.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.56 JMD 1,193

$1.60 ฿53.9

372.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 JMD 469

$1.50 ฿50.7

98.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 509

$1.28 ฿43.15

152.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 JMD 320

$1.10 ฿37.22

84.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 493

$0.71 ฿23.84

340.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 229

$0.49 ฿16.38

197.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 JMD 1,510

$4.14 ฿140

131.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 JMD 1,804

$17.52 ฿592

-34.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 455

$1.61 ฿54.5

78.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 JMD 616

$2.78 ฿94.0

40.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 202

$1.16 ฿39.08

10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 JMD 490

$0.53 ฿17.82

486.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 JMD 979

$2.42 ฿81.8

156.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 JMD 222

$1.45 ฿48.93

-2.76%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

109.12%

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

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

20.73%

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

$171 JMD 26.9K

$62.2 ฿2,100

174.67%

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

$28.96 JMD 4,567

$12.17 ฿411

137.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 JMD 8,298

$20.12 ฿680

161.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 JMD 2,101

$6.49 ฿219

105.24%

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

$360 JMD 56.8K

$736 ฿24.9K

-51.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-43.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.26 JMD 3,667

$53.4 ฿1,802

-56.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 JMD 5,038

$24.64 ฿832

29.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-13.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$71.9 ฿2,429

44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 JMD 98.4K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-37.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 JMD 80.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

-18.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,178 JMD 185.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

99.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Spanish Town

$383 38%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.9% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$252 25%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.6% $158

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$222 22%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.1% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$107 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.2% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 88.7% $24

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 265% $45

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 100% higher in Spanish Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Spanish Town versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

12 h ahead of Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

127,240

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Spanish Town Chiang Mai 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Spanish Town
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

Spanish Town vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spanish Town costs about 8% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,514 per month in Spanish Town and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Spanish Town and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Spanish Town, 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 $1,009 in Spanish Town 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 $1,009 in Spanish Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Spanish Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.