Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aurora, CO and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,204 in Aurora, CO, 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 Aurora, CO
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Aurora, CO Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aurora, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,204

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,204 in Aurora, CO versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Aurora, CO $3,204
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,519 in Aurora, CO versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Aurora, CO $4,519
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,834 in Aurora, CO versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Aurora, CO $5,834
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Aurora, CO is roughly 246% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aurora, CO is 136% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 $30.59

$2.29 ฿76.5

1235.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 $67.1

$19.64 ฿656

241.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.81 $12.81

$5.61 ฿188

128.34%

Cappuccino

$5.77 $5.77

$1.66 ฿55.6

247.59%

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

$2.77 $2.77

$0.70 ฿23.40

295.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.31 ฿10.24

603.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.41 ฿80.4

109.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$3.71 ฿124

64.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.95 ฿65.3

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.41 ฿47.03

112.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.31 ฿43.62

129.77%

Eggs

$4.34 $4.34

$2.18 ฿72.9

99.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.05 $12.05

$16.65 ฿556

-27.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$2.76 ฿92.2

240.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 $14.32

$9.11 ฿304

57.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.39 ฿80.0

93.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.03 ฿34.26

46.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.63 ฿54.4

82.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.50 ฿50.0

194.67%

Potato (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.29 ฿43.13

330.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.11 ฿37.03

261.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.72 ฿24.08

181.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$0.53 ฿17.59

647.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 $10.16

$4.31 ฿144

135.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.58 ฿52.9

8.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.86 ฿28.86

256.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$178 $178

$53.3 ฿1,780

234.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.44 ฿47.96

-30.56%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

37.10%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

0.78%

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

$160 $160

$62.3 ฿2,083

156.18%

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

$80.7 $80.7

$12.11 ฿405

566.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 $52.6

$19.94 ฿666

163.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.42 $24.42

$37.07 ฿1,239

-34.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.11 $10.11

$3.78 ฿126

167.46%

Cinema Ticket

$18.14 $18.14

$6.50 ฿217

179.08%

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

$1,154 $1,154

$793 ฿26.5K

45.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K $30.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

103.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 $58.1

$53.7 ฿1,796

8.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.56 $49.56

$24.62 ฿823

101.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$90.9 ฿3,036

12.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$71.1 ฿2,378

62.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,913 $1,913

$455 ฿15.2K

320.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 $1,749

$298 ฿9,954

487.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,193 $3,193

$908 ฿30.4K

251.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 $2,603

$554 ฿18.5K

370.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,322 $3,322

$1,931 ฿64.5K

72.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,930 $2,930

$1,445 ฿48.3K

102.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,149 $4,149

$591 ฿19.7K

602.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.26

5.57

12.39%

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

Last update for Aurora, CO: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aurora, CO

$1.7K 54.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 83% $1.5K

Eating Out

Aurora, CO

$410 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 80.8% $331

Groceries & Markets

Aurora, CO

$354 * 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 33.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aurora, CO

$293 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 67.8% $199

Getting Around

Aurora, CO

$191 * 6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 68.1% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Aurora, CO

$147 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 26.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Aurora, CO

$61 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.5% $11

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 $1,913 in Aurora, CO and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aurora, CO pays 602% 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: $67.0 in Aurora, CO vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aurora, CO

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

14:36 2:36 PM

13 h ahead of Aurora, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,542

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Aurora, CO Chiang Mai 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Aurora, CO
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

Aurora, CO vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 246% lower than in Aurora, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 602% higher in Aurora, CO, 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: $1,913 in Aurora, CO versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Aurora, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $67.0 in Aurora, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $3,204 in Aurora, CO, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Aurora, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $925 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Aurora, CO 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 246% less than in Aurora, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.