Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashland, MA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,638 in Ashland, MA, rent and utilities included – about $32,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ashland, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,638

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,638 per month in Ashland, MA vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ashland, MA $3,638
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,720 per month in Ashland, MA vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ashland, MA $4,720
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,802 per month in Ashland, MA vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ashland, MA $5,802
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ashland, MA costs about 289% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ashland, MA sits 167% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$2.24 ฿75.7

783.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$19.00 ฿642

301.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.21 $13.21

$5.55 ฿188

138.02%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$1.67 ฿56.6

202.99%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$0.64 ฿21.56

348.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.31 ฿10.32

683.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$2.36 ฿79.6

153.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$3.66 ฿124

146.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.95 ฿65.8

-45.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.44 ฿48.51

209.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.37 $16.37

$1.33 ฿45.07

1130.83%

Eggs

$5.96 $5.96

$2.28 ฿77.1

161.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.97 $17.97

$16.45 ฿556

9.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 $10.73

$2.78 ฿94.0

285.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 $18.82

$9.31 ฿314

102.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.35 ฿79.5

134.89%

Banana (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$0.97 ฿32.82

342.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.60 ฿53.9

103.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.50 ฿50.7

107.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.28 ฿43.15

70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.10 ฿37.22

118.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.71 ฿23.84

269.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.49 ฿16.38

481.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.66 $13.66

$4.14 ฿140

229.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.34 $17.34

$17.52 ฿592

-1.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.61 ฿54.5

17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.78 ฿94.0

-2.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 $5.89

$1.16 ฿39.08

407.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 ฿48.93

-30.34%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

34.11%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-2.21%

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

$180 $180

$62.2 ฿2,100

188.84%

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

$37.13 $37.13

$12.17 ฿411

205.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 $59.1

$20.12 ฿680

193.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 $76.1

$37.31 ฿1,260

103.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.12 $44.12

$3.77 ฿127

1070.29%

Cinema Ticket

$12.37 $12.37

$6.49 ฿219

90.60%

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

$2,104 $2,104

$736 ฿24.9K

185.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.59 $38.59

$53.4 ฿1,802

-27.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.15 $16.15

$24.64 ฿832

-34.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$91.5 ฿3,089

10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$71.9 ฿2,429

40.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 $2,102

$482 ฿16.3K

335.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,316 $2,316

$309 ฿10.4K

649.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,877 $2,877

$1,006 ฿34.0K

185.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 $2,820

$633 ฿21.4K

345.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,069 $5,069

$2,363 ฿79.8K

114.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,390 $4,390

$1,589 ฿53.7K

176.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,849 $7,849

$590 ฿19.9K

1230.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Ashland, 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

Ashland, MA

$2.3K 63.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 86.7% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Ashland, MA

$496 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 52.8% $262

Eating Out

Ashland, MA

$328 9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.3% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashland, MA

$276 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.7% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Ashland, MA

$116 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 6.2% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ashland, MA

$101 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 50.1% $51

Getting Around

Ashland, MA

$5.9 * 0.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 942% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,102 in Ashland, MA versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ashland, MA are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Ashland, MA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $496 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ashland, MA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

05:23 5:23 AM

11 h ahead of Ashland, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,684

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

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

From you

Ashland, 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

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

Ashland, MA costs about 289% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,457 per month in Ashland, MA and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $2,102 in Ashland, MA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,638 in Ashland, MA and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 74% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,104 per month in Ashland, MA and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,638 in Ashland, MA and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ashland, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.