Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Auburn, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,212 in Auburn, CA, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Auburn, CA
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Auburn, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Auburn, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,212

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,212 per month in Auburn, CA vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Auburn, CA $3,212
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $4,620 per month in Auburn, CA vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Auburn, CA $4,620
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $6,027 per month in Auburn, CA vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Auburn, CA $6,027
Chiang Mai $1,914

Auburn, CA costs about 242% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Auburn, CA sits 138% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.25 $25.25

$2.26 ฿75.4

1017.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 $90.7

$19.18 ฿641

373.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$5.59 ฿187

113.24%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$1.72 ฿57.6

185.47%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$0.64 ฿21.54

296.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.33 ฿11.18

618.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.36 ฿78.7

105.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$3.90 ฿130

82.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.05 ฿68.6

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.40 ฿46.70

222.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.21 $8.21

$1.28 ฿42.89

541.41%

Eggs

$3.17 $3.17

$2.25 ฿75.3

40.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.79 $25.79

$16.94 ฿566

52.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.58 $18.58

$2.74 ฿91.6

578.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$9.36 ฿313

145.73%

Apples (1kg)

$7.72 $7.72

$2.40 ฿80.3

221.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.01 ฿33.92

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.51 $8.51

$1.61 ฿53.9

428.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$1.52 ฿50.7

346.05%

Potato (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.28 ฿42.90

298.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.11 ฿37.22

175.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.72 ฿24.09

180.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.52 ฿17.54

336.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 $11.66

$4.33 ฿145

169.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$17.73 ฿593

-14.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.63 ฿54.4

-10.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.85 ฿95.3

-29.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 $3.40

$0.85 ฿28.31

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 $88.2

$53.9 ฿1,801

63.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.17 ฿39.18

178.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.57 ฿19.00

326.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.49 $40.49

$2.37 ฿79.2

1608.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.45 ฿48.32

-15.86%

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

$32.8K $32.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

60.35%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-7.60%

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

$189 $189

$62.3 ฿2,083

203.13%

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

$49.79 $49.79

$12.27 ฿410

305.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$19.97 ฿668

234.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.4 $64.4

$37.91 ฿1,267

69.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$15.10 $15.10

$6.71 ฿224

125.04%

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

$2,686 $2,686

$797 ฿26.6K

236.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,939 $5,939

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-59.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 $68.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

29.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.74 $46.74

$25.05 ฿837

86.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$91.6 ฿3,062

20.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$199 $199

$73.5 ฿2,455

170.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 $1,823

$464 ฿15.5K

292.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 $1,591

$305 ฿10.2K

422.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,784 $2,784

$915 ฿30.6K

204.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 $2,344

$552 ฿18.5K

324.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$1,912 ฿63.9K

71.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,675 $2,675

$1,438 ฿48.1K

85.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$595 ฿19.9K

559.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

5.57

21.54%

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

Last update for Auburn, CA: 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

Auburn, CA

$1.6K 49.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 80.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Auburn, CA

$558 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 57.3% $320

Eating Out

Auburn, CA

$355 11%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 77.7% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Auburn, CA

$305 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 69% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Auburn, CA

$191 6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 42.7% $82

Getting Around

Auburn, CA

$117 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 47.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Auburn, CA

$95 3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 45.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,823 in Auburn, CA versus $464 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 run about 560% higher in Auburn, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Auburn, CA versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $558 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Auburn, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

04:26 4:26 AM

14 h ahead of Auburn, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,143

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Auburn, CA Chiang Mai 12,370 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Auburn, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,212 in Auburn, CA, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 242% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,818 per month in Auburn, CA and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,686 per month in Auburn, CA and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 134% more in Auburn, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Auburn, CA at $3,212. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Auburn, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $3,212 in Auburn, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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