Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aliso Viejo, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $36,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in Aliso Viejo, CA
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Aliso Viejo, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aliso Viejo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,964

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Aliso Viejo, CA $3,964
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,003 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Aliso Viejo, CA $6,003
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,043 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Aliso Viejo, CA $8,043
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Aliso Viejo, CA is roughly 328% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aliso Viejo, CA is 193% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.73 $24.73

$2.29 ฿76.5

979.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$19.64 ฿656

401.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 $14.32

$5.61 ฿188

155.26%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$1.66 ฿55.6

256.02%

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

$3.51 $3.51

$0.70 ฿23.40

401.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.31 ฿10.24

803.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.22 $8.22

$2.41 ฿80.4

241.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 $9.94

$3.71 ฿124

167.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.95 ฿65.3

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.41 ฿47.03

238.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.31 ฿43.62

260.31%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$2.18 ฿72.9

133.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$16.65 ฿556

-31.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$2.76 ฿92.2

482.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 $17.67

$9.11 ฿304

93.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.39 ฿80.0

130.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.03 ฿34.26

67.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.63 ฿54.4

187.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$1.50 ฿50.0

341.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.29 ฿43.13

179.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.11 ฿37.03

153.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.72 ฿24.08

205.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.53 ฿17.59

358.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.92 $11.92

$4.31 ฿144

176.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$17.95 ฿600

-14.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.58 ฿52.9

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.84 ฿95.0

9.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.86 ฿28.86

256.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.21 ฿40.29

269.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.57 ฿18.99

235.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 $32.04

$2.35 ฿78.6

1263.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.44 ฿47.96

10.42%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

68.79%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

0.80%

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

$212 $212

$62.3 ฿2,083

239.85%

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

$71.5 $71.5

$12.11 ฿405

490.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$19.94 ฿666

257.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 $38.84

$37.07 ฿1,239

4.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$17.19 $17.19

$6.50 ฿217

164.46%

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

$1,698 $1,698

$793 ฿26.5K

114.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

114.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 $72.5

$53.7 ฿1,796

34.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 $65.1

$24.62 ฿823

164.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$90.9 ฿3,036

27.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 $169

$71.1 ฿2,378

138.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,908 $2,908

$455 ฿15.2K

538.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 $2,466

$298 ฿9,954

728.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,191 $4,191

$908 ฿30.4K

361.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$554 ฿18.5K

738.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,007 $7,007

$1,931 ฿64.5K

262.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,500 $6,500

$1,445 ฿48.3K

349.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,985 $7,985

$591 ฿19.7K

1251.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

5.57

23.16%

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

Last update for Aliso Viejo, CA: 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

Aliso Viejo, CA

$2.5K 62.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 87.9% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Aliso Viejo, CA

$456 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 48.3% $220

Eating Out

Aliso Viejo, CA

$398 10%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 80.3% $319

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aliso Viejo, CA

$355 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 73.4% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Aliso Viejo, CA

$190 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 43.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Aliso Viejo, CA

$73 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.6% $23

Getting Around

Aliso Viejo, CA

$26 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 131% $34

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 $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aliso Viejo, CA pays 1251% 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: $98.0 in Aliso Viejo, CA vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aliso Viejo, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

13:02 1:02 PM

14 h ahead of Aliso Viejo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,489

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Aliso Viejo, CA Chiang Mai 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Aliso Viejo, CA
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

Aliso Viejo, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aliso Viejo, CA and Chiang Mai differ by about 328% in total monthly costs ($3,964 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 1251% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA, 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: $2,908 in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% higher in Aliso Viejo, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,964 per month in Aliso Viejo, CA versus $925 in Chiang Mai – a 328% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $3,964 in Aliso Viejo, CA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Aliso Viejo, CA. 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, Aliso Viejo, CA 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 328% less than in Aliso Viejo, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.