Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akron, OH and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,238 in Akron, OH, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Akron, OH
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Akron, OH Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Akron, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,238

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,238 in Akron, OH versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Akron, OH $2,238
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,342 in Akron, OH versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Akron, OH $3,342
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,445 in Akron, OH versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Akron, OH $4,445
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Akron, OH is roughly 138% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Akron, OH is 66% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 $16.82

$2.26 ฿75.4

644.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$19.18 ฿641

297.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$5.59 ฿187

80.86%

Cappuccino

$3.83 $3.83

$1.72 ฿57.6

122.67%

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

$2.09 $2.09

$0.64 ฿21.54

226.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.33 ฿11.18

381.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.36 ฿78.7

117.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.90 ฿130

31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.05 ฿68.6

-57.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.40 ฿46.70

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$1.28 ฿42.89

476.56%

Eggs

$4.95 $4.95

$2.25 ฿75.3

120.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.61 $15.61

$16.94 ฿566

-7.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$2.74 ฿91.6

334.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.36 $19.36

$9.36 ฿313

106.84%

Apples (1kg)

$7.02 $7.02

$2.40 ฿80.3

192.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.01 ฿33.92

59.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.75 $7.75

$1.61 ฿53.9

381.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$1.52 ฿50.7

332.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.28 ฿42.90

203.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.11 ฿37.22

239.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.72 ฿24.09

237.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.52 ฿17.54

296.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.73 $9.73

$4.33 ฿145

124.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 $14.25

$17.73 ฿593

-19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.63 ฿54.4

7.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.85 ฿95.3

81.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.85 ฿28.31

44.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.06 $49.06

$53.9 ฿1,801

-8.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.17 ฿39.18

317.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.57 ฿19.00

214.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.45 ฿48.32

-26.90%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

76.98%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

2.80%

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

$247 $247

$62.3 ฿2,083

295.86%

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

$40.60 $40.60

$12.27 ฿410

230.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 $79.4

$19.97 ฿668

297.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 $43.69

$37.91 ฿1,267

15.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 $17.18

$3.76 ฿126

356.91%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 $12.72

$6.71 ฿224

89.57%

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

$1,339 $1,339

$797 ฿26.6K

67.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K $12.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-13.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

0.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 $64.1

$25.05 ฿837

155.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$91.6 ฿3,062

16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$73.5 ฿2,455

73.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 $933

$464 ฿15.5K

100.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 $859

$305 ฿10.2K

181.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 $1,403

$915 ฿30.6K

53.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,428 $1,428

$552 ฿18.5K

158.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-18.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,438 ฿48.1K

2.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,354 $3,354

$595 ฿19.9K

463.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.08

5.57

9.16%

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

Last update for Akron, OH: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Akron, OH

$859 38.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 64.5% $554

Groceries & Markets

Akron, OH

$456 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 47.8% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akron, OH

$367 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.2% $272

Eating Out

Akron, OH

$261 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 69.8% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Akron, OH

$158 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 30.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Akron, OH

$69 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 25.7% $18

Getting Around

Akron, OH

$68 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 9.6% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $933 in Akron, OH and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akron, OH pays 464% 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: $76.0 in Akron, OH vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Akron, OH

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

07:16 7:16 AM

11 h ahead of Akron, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,542

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Akron, OH Chiang Mai 13,360 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Akron, OH
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

Akron, OH vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Akron, OH and Chiang Mai differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($2,238 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 464% higher in Akron, OH, 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: $933 in Akron, OH versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,238 per month in Akron, OH versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 138% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 10% less than in Akron, OH. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,238 in Akron, OH, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Akron, OH. 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, Akron, OH 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 138% less than in Akron, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.