Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, MA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,767 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,767

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,767 in Amherst, MA versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Amherst, MA $2,767
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Amherst, MA versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Amherst, MA $4,275
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,783 in Amherst, MA versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Amherst, MA $5,783
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Amherst, MA is roughly 196% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Amherst, MA is 103% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$2.24 ฿75.7

795.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 $70.8

$19.00 ฿642

272.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 $8.90

$5.55 ฿188

60.36%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$1.67 ฿56.6

186.83%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$0.64 ฿21.56

320.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.31 ฿10.32

564.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.36 ฿79.6

152.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 $10.41

$3.66 ฿124

184.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.95 ฿65.8

-45.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.44 ฿48.51

122.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.00 $7.00

$1.33 ฿45.07

426.32%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$2.28 ฿77.1

105.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 $16.50

$16.45 ฿556

0.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$2.78 ฿94.0

467.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$9.31 ฿314

96.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.35 ฿79.5

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.97 ฿32.82

49.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.60 ฿53.9

103.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.50 ฿50.7

206.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.28 ฿43.15

155.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.10 ฿37.22

237.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.71 ฿23.84

223.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.49 ฿16.38

312.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 $10.69

$4.14 ฿140

158.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 $12.14

$17.52 ฿592

-30.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.61 ฿54.5

22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.78 ฿94.0

41.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.87 ฿29.33

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.34 $28.34

$54.1 ฿1,827

-47.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.16 ฿39.08

206.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.53 ฿17.82

167.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.78 $29.78

$2.42 ฿81.8

1130.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.45 ฿48.93

-31.72%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

30.73%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-2.14%

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

$213 $213

$62.2 ฿2,100

242.51%

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

$56.5 $56.5

$12.17 ฿411

364.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.9 $87.9

$20.12 ฿680

336.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 $121

$37.31 ฿1,260

225.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.77 ฿127

83.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 $10.65

$6.49 ฿219

64.10%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$736 ฿24.9K

99.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K $17.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

16.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.22 $45.22

$53.4 ฿1,802

-15.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 $40.24

$24.64 ฿832

63.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 $91.6

$91.5 ฿3,089

0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$71.9 ฿2,429

52.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 $1,821

$482 ฿16.3K

277.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 $1,346

$309 ฿10.4K

335.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,829 $3,829

$1,006 ฿34.0K

280.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 $2,708

$633 ฿21.4K

327.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,969 $3,969

$2,363 ฿79.8K

67.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,035 $4,035

$1,589 ฿53.7K

153.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,660 $4,660

$590 ฿19.9K

690.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.57

9.52%

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

Last update for Amherst, MA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 77.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, MA

$434 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 46% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, MA

$357 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.6% $263

Eating Out

Amherst, MA

$314 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.3% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, MA

$143 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 64.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, MA

$129 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 15.8% $20

Getting Around

Amherst, MA

$44 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 39% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,821 in Amherst, MA and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Amherst, MA vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $434 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

11 h ahead of Amherst, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amherst, MA Chiang Mai 13,160 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, MA
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

Amherst, MA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 66% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Amherst, MA is about 7.9 times higher, 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: $1,821 in Amherst, MA versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,466 in Amherst, MA versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Amherst, MA and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Amherst, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.