🇹🇭 Chiang Mai or Las Palmas? 🇪🇸
Chiang Mai or Las Palmas? It is one of the most common questions we get, and the honest answer is that the two cities pull in different directions — Chiang Mai wins on budget, but budget is only one line in the spreadsheet.
Chiang Mai is in Thailand, Las Palmas in Spain, which matters more than it sounds: it changes your visa options, your tax exposure and how easily you can hop home for a wedding.
Short answer
Chiang Mai and Las Palmas score almost identically overall (4.5/5 vs 4.4/5), so cost is the tiebreaker — and Chiang Mai is $700 a month cheaper.
| Metric | 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai | 🇪🇸 Las Palmas |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $1,000 ✓ | $1,700 |
| Nomad score | 4.5/5 ✓ | 4.4/5 |
| Internet | 4.2/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Safety | 4.3/5 | 4.5/5 ✓ |
| Walkability | 3.8/5 | 4.3/5 ✓ |
| Fun & nightlife | 4.1/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Weather | 4/5 | 4.9/5 ✓ |
| Air quality | 2.6/5 | 4.4/5 ✓ |
Cost of living: Chiang Mai vs Las Palmas
On raw cost of living, Chiang Mai is the cheaper city — about $1,000 a month against $1,700 for Las Palmas. Across a year that 41% gap compounds into $8,400, which is the difference between a tight twelve months and a comfortable eighteen. Both figures are typical all-in nomad budgets: a one-bedroom rental, groceries and regular restaurant meals, local transport, a mobile data plan and a hot desk at a coworking space. Short lets and central districts push the number up; a longer lease signed locally usually pulls it well down.
Time zones and the working day
The time difference between Chiang Mai and Las Palmas is 7 hours — Chiang Mai runs on UTC+7 and Las Palmas on UTC, putting Chiang Mai ahead. A 9–6 day in each city overlaps by only about 2 hours, so one of you is taking calls early or late. Worth checking against your clients before you commit to a lease.
Internet and wifi for remote work
Internet is a tie: both Chiang Mai and Las Palmas rate 4.2/5 on our connectivity score, which blends typical home fibre speeds, mobile data quality and how easy it is to find a café or coworking space you can actually take a video call from. Both are solid enough for day-to-day remote work; a local data SIM covers you on the odd bad day.
Safety, walkability and nightlife
Las Palmas rates higher for safety (4.5/5 versus 4.3/5) — separated by a rounding error in day-to-day terms like walking home late, petty theft and how comfortable solo travellers report feeling. On walkability Las Palmas takes it at 4.3/5 against 3.8/5, which in practice decides whether you can live without a car or a daily ride-hail habit.
Weather and air quality
Las Palmas has the better climate for year-round remote work, 4.9/5 against 4/5 — our weather score rewards mild shoulder seasons and penalises long stretches you would rather not be outside in. Las Palmas sits noticeably further from the equator than Chiang Mai (28° against 19°), which usually means sharper seasons, shorter winter days and a bigger gap between your best and worst months. Air quality is the bigger split: Las Palmas rates 4.4/5 and Chiang Mai 2.6/5. If you run, cycle or have any respiratory sensitivity, that gap is worth more than a few hundred dollars of rent.
Visas and how long you can stay
This is where the two genuinely diverge. Thailand offers a long-stay route for remote workers, valid 5 years, up to 180 days per entry (extendable once), with no published minimum income on our index. Spain offers a long-stay route for remote workers, valid 1-year visa, convertible to a 3-year permit and requiring around $3,000 a month in proven income. Always confirm current rules with the relevant consulate before you book anything long.
Chiang Mai vs Las Palmas: the verdict
- Choose Chiang Mai if your priority is stretching your runway — it is the cheaper base at $1,000 a month, saving you $8,400 a year.
- Chiang Mai also takes the overall nomad score (4.5/5 against 4.4/5), so it is cheaper and stronger — the rare case where there is no trade-off.
- Travelling solo, or nervous about a new city? Las Palmas rates higher for safety. Want to live without a car? Las Palmas is the more walkable of the two. Weather-sensitive? Las Palmas scores higher across the year. If you train outdoors, Las Palmas is the easier place to breathe.
Dig deeper on each city
Useful next: the meeting time-zone planner, the digital nomad visa index, and how to get paid while working abroad.
Ready to go? Set up for Chiang Mai or Las Palmas
Whichever you choose, here's the remote-work kit worth sorting before you land:
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Chiang Mai vs Las Palmas: frequently asked questions
Is Chiang Mai or Las Palmas cheaper for digital nomads?
Chiang Mai is cheaper, at roughly $1,000 a month against $1,700 for Las Palmas — a difference of $8,400 a year. Both figures are typical all-in nomad budgets covering rent, groceries, eating out, local transport and coworking.
What is the time difference between Chiang Mai and Las Palmas?
7 hours. Chiang Mai is on UTC+7 and Las Palmas is on UTC, and a normal 9–6 working day overlaps by about 2 hours.
Which has better internet, Chiang Mai or Las Palmas?
They are evenly matched, both rating 4.2/5 on our connectivity score.
Which is safer, Chiang Mai or Las Palmas?
Las Palmas scores 4.5/5 for safety and Chiang Mai scores 4.3/5, giving Las Palmas the edge for solo travellers and late-night walks home.
Chiang Mai or Las Palmas — which is better overall for remote work?
Overall, Chiang Mai leads with a 4.5/5 nomad score against 4.4/5 for Las Palmas. Treat that as a starting point rather than a verdict: budget, weather and visa access will move the answer for most people.
Can I get a digital nomad visa for Chiang Mai or Las Palmas?
Thailand offers a long-stay route for remote workers, valid 5 years, up to 180 days per entry (extendable once), with no published minimum income on our index. Spain offers a long-stay route for remote workers, valid 1-year visa, convertible to a 3-year permit and requiring around $3,000 a month in proven income.
Which has better weather, Chiang Mai or Las Palmas?
Las Palmas rates 4.9/5 for climate and Chiang Mai 4/5, with air quality at 4.4/5 and 2.6/5 respectively.
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