Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Ames, IA is 113.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 137.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Ames, IA is 96.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 128.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.07 $18.07

$2.02 ฿65.3

794.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 $44.34

$18.78 ฿608

136.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$7.67 ฿248

17.86%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$1.98 ฿64.2

166.16%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$0.82 ฿26.64

137.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.33 ฿10.58

427.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.12 ฿68.6

41.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.73 ฿121

86.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.64 ฿53.2

-38.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.57 ฿50.9

132.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.19 ฿38.62

161.34%

Eggs

$3.29 $3.29

$1.98 ฿64.1

66.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.44 $9.44

$15.99 ฿517

-40.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.6 $11.6

$3.12 ฿101

271.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.09 $14.09

$11.16 ฿361

26.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.76 ฿89.2

84.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.22 ฿39.5

-5.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$1.71 ฿55.4

238.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.1 $5.1

$1.55 ฿50.2

229.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.34 ฿43.21

180.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.21 ฿39.23

209.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.72 ฿23.2

176.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.53 ฿17.05

271.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9 $9

$4.72 ฿153

90.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.23 $16.23

$18.39 ฿595

-11.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.79 ฿57.9

-4.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.21 ฿104

36.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.94 ฿30.44

58.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.13 $47.13

$18.9 ฿612

149.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.9 $4.9

$1.42 ฿46.08

245.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.35 ฿43.53

2.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.16 $49.16

$7.85 ฿254

526.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.8 $0.8

$1.25 ฿40.4

-36.00%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$21.2K ฿684.9K

16.72%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.8K ฿706.8K

16.85%

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

$189 $189

$70.6 ฿2,285

167.67%

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

$48.48 $48.48

$13.72 ฿444

253.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$17.56 ฿568

323.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 $68.5

$41.64 ฿1,347

64.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$6.9 ฿223

186.09%

Cinema Ticket

$13.9 $13.9

$5.8 ฿188

139.66%

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

$1,470 $1,470

$308 ฿9,963

377.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K $30.2K

$14.7K ฿475.8K

105.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.64 $38.64

$55.4 ฿1,793

-30.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.65 $42.65

$26.4 ฿854

61.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 $84.4

$85.1 ฿2,755

-0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$71.8 ฿2,323

61.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$989 $989

$434 ฿14K

127.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$837 $837

$235 ฿7,610

255.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 $1,931

$821 ฿26.6K

135.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,676 $1,676

$498 ฿16.1K

236.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,346 $2,346

$2,180 ฿70.6K

7.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,182 $2,182

$1,543 ฿49.9K

41.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,732 $3,732

$703 ฿22.8K

430.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.02

20.40%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: October 28, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia