Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, LA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,082 in Alexandria, LA, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, LA
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Alexandria, LA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alexandria, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,082

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,082 in Alexandria, LA versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Alexandria, LA $2,082
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,933 in Alexandria, LA versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Alexandria, LA $2,933
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,783 in Alexandria, LA versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Alexandria, LA $3,783
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Alexandria, LA is roughly 122% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alexandria, LA is 54% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.12 $16.12

$2.26 ฿75.4

613.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 $51.2

$19.18 ฿641

166.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 $9.72

$5.59 ฿187

73.88%

Cappuccino

$5.30 $5.30

$1.72 ฿57.6

208.14%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$0.64 ฿21.54

289.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.33 ฿11.18

548.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.36 ฿78.7

151.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$3.90 ฿130

110.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.05 ฿68.6

-34.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.40 ฿46.70

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.08 $6.08

$1.28 ฿42.89

375.00%

Eggs

$5.51 $5.51

$2.25 ฿75.3

144.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 $8.97

$16.94 ฿566

-47.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$2.74 ฿91.6

135.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.67 $15.67

$9.36 ฿313

67.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.40 ฿80.3

113.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.01 ฿33.92

32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.61 ฿53.9

232.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$1.52 ฿50.7

257.89%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.28 ฿42.90

240.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.11 ฿37.22

101.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.72 ฿24.09

216.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.52 ฿17.54

405.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 $8.89

$4.33 ฿145

105.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.03 $17.03

$17.73 ฿593

-3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.63 ฿54.4

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.85 ฿95.3

36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.17 ฿39.18

205.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.57 ฿19.00

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.46 $34.46

$2.37 ฿79.2

1354.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.45 ฿48.32

-48.97%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

75.46%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-3.75%

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

$186 $186

$62.3 ฿2,083

198.14%

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

$70.7 $70.7

$12.27 ฿410

475.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.0 $73.0

$19.97 ฿668

265.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 $12.58

$6.71 ฿224

87.48%

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

$1,577 $1,577

$797 ฿26.6K

97.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-31.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

8.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.48 $42.48

$25.05 ฿837

69.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 $87.3

$91.6 ฿3,062

-4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$73.5 ฿2,455

65.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 $936

$464 ฿15.5K

101.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 $913

$305 ฿10.2K

199.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 $1,454

$915 ฿30.6K

58.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 $1,318

$552 ฿18.5K

138.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 $1,266

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-33.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,271 $1,271

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-11.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 $2,989

$595 ฿19.9K

402.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

5.57

19.57%

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

Last update for Alexandria, LA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, LA

$913 43.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66.6% $608

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, LA

$378 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 37% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, LA

$330 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 71.3% $235

Eating Out

Alexandria, LA

$286 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 72.4% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, LA

$139 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 21.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, LA

$25 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 104% $26

Getting Around

Alexandria, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 449% $50

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 $936 in Alexandria, LA and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, LA pays 402% 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: $51.0 in Alexandria, LA vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, LA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

12 h ahead of Alexandria, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

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

Alexandria, LA Chiang Mai 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, LA
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

Alexandria, LA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 122% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 402% higher in Alexandria, LA, 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: $936 in Alexandria, LA versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Alexandria, LA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,082 per month in Alexandria, LA versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,082 in Alexandria, LA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Alexandria, LA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Alexandria, LA 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 122% less than in Alexandria, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.