Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,161 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,161

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,161 in Abilene, TX versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Abilene, TX $2,161
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,189 in Abilene, TX versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Abilene, TX $3,189
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,216 in Abilene, TX versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Abilene, TX $4,216
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 134% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abilene, TX is 60% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.35 $18.35

$2.29 ฿76.5

701.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 $66.0

$19.64 ฿656

235.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$5.61 ฿188

64.71%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$1.66 ฿55.6

228.31%

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

$2.37 $2.37

$0.70 ฿23.40

238.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.31 ฿10.24

487.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.41 ฿80.4

110.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 $5.60

$3.71 ฿124

50.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.95 ฿65.3

-49.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.41 ฿47.03

63.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$1.31 ฿43.62

332.82%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.18 ฿72.9

70.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 $8.41

$16.65 ฿556

-49.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 $13.44

$2.76 ฿92.2

386.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 $14.50

$9.11 ฿304

59.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.39 ฿80.0

41.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.03 ฿34.26

-0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.63 ฿54.4

182.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.50 ฿50.0

243.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.29 ฿43.13

240.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.11 ฿37.03

227.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.72 ฿24.08

237.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.53 ฿17.59

271.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.26 $9.26

$4.31 ฿144

114.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.57 $11.57

$17.95 ฿600

-35.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.58 ฿52.9

65.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.84 ฿95.0

43.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.86 ฿28.86

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 $52.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

-1.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.06 $15.06

$2.35 ฿78.6

540.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.44 ฿47.96

-36.11%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

9.77%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-1.46%

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

$243 $243

$62.3 ฿2,083

289.83%

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

$58.1 $58.1

$12.11 ฿405

379.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.7 $62.7

$19.94 ฿666

214.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.60 $19.60

$37.07 ฿1,239

-47.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.82 $11.82

$6.50 ฿217

81.85%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.63 $42.63

$53.7 ฿1,796

-20.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.64 $19.64

$24.62 ฿823

-20.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.9 $61.9

$90.9 ฿3,036

-31.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 $64.6

$71.1 ฿2,378

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 $1,182

$455 ฿15.2K

159.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$298 ฿9,954

217.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 $1,842

$908 ฿30.4K

102.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 $1,625

$554 ฿18.5K

193.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,934 $1,934

$1,931 ฿64.5K

0.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,776 $1,776

$1,445 ฿48.3K

22.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,403 $3,403

$591 ฿19.7K

476.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abilene, TX

$945 43.7%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 68.5% $648

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$372 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 36.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$364 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 74.1% $269

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$293 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 73.2% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$85 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 27.3% $23

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$59 * 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2.7% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$43 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.8% $6.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,182 in Abilene, TX and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 476% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Abilene, TX vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

21:23 9:23 PM

12 h ahead of Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Abilene, TX Chiang Mai 13,970 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Abilene, TX
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

Abilene, TX vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and Chiang Mai differ by about 134% in total monthly costs ($2,161 vs $925 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 476% higher in Abilene, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,182 in Abilene, TX versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $66.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 2% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,161 in Abilene, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Abilene, TX and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.