Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaragoza, El Salvador and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaragoza: $635 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

30

Cost of Living Index in Zaragoza
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Zaragoza Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zaragoza

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$635

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Zaragoza vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zaragoza $635
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,036 per month in Zaragoza vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,036
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,437 per month in Zaragoza vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zaragoza $1,437
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zaragoza is about 32% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Zaragoza and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Zaragoza 53% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 $6.95

$2.24 ฿75.7

210.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.51 $29.51

$19.00 ฿642

55.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 $6.96

$5.55 ฿188

25.41%

Cappuccino

$1.54 $1.54

$1.67 ฿56.6

-7.78%

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

$1.11 $1.11

$0.64 ฿21.56

73.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.31 ฿10.32

161.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.36 ฿79.6

-47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.66 ฿124

-42.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.95 ฿65.8

-8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.44 ฿48.51

57.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.33 ฿45.07

-27.07%

Eggs

$2.50 $2.50

$2.28 ฿77.1

9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 $7.49

$16.45 ฿556

-54.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.78 ฿94.0

41.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$9.31 ฿314

-42.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.35 ฿79.5

69.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.97 ฿32.82

46.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.60 ฿53.9

61.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.50 ฿50.7

42.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.28 ฿43.15

131.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.10 ฿37.22

65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$0.71 ฿23.84

35.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.49 ฿16.38

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 $3.77

$4.14 ฿140

-8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$17.52 ฿592

-53.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.61 ฿54.5

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.78 ฿94.0

-20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.87 ฿29.33

70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.16 ฿39.08

322.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.53 ฿17.82

452.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.10 $20.10

$2.42 ฿81.8

730.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.45 ฿48.93

-22.76%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

17.63%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-8.57%

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

$46.09 $46.09

$62.2 ฿2,100

-25.86%

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

$21.21 $21.21

$12.17 ฿411

74.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 $35.34

$20.12 ฿680

75.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.94 $34.94

$37.31 ฿1,260

-6.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$6.49 ฿219

-22.50%

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

$150 $150

$736 ฿24.9K

-79.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,759 $4,759

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-67.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 $67.3

$53.4 ฿1,802

26.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.68 $46.68

$24.64 ฿832

89.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$91.5 ฿3,089

21.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 $69.5

$71.9 ฿2,429

-3.41%

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)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

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)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

5.57

52.60%

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

Last update for Zaragoza: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zaragoza

$217 34.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Zaragoza

$133 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.2% $24

Eating Out

Zaragoza

$113 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaragoza

$103 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 8% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Zaragoza

$45 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 11.7% $5.3

Getting Around

Zaragoza

$25 * 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 141% $36

Accommodation & Living

Zaragoza

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Zaragoza versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $217 in Zaragoza vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Zaragoza wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Zaragoza

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

19:01 7:01 PM

13 h ahead of Zaragoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,749

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 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).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zaragoza Chiang Mai 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaragoza
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Zaragoza, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Zaragoza 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 $30 in Zaragoza 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 8% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zaragoza, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Zaragoza it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $635 in Zaragoza to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.