Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aurora, IL and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,774 in Aurora, IL, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Aurora, IL
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Aurora, IL Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aurora, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,774

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,774 per month in Aurora, IL vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aurora, IL $2,774
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,792 per month in Aurora, IL vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aurora, IL $3,792
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,810 per month in Aurora, IL vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aurora, IL $4,810
Chiang Mai $1,979

Aurora, IL costs about 197% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Aurora, IL sits 104% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.22 $14.22

$2.24 ฿75.7

534.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$19.00 ฿642

212.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 $11.78

$5.55 ฿188

112.25%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$1.67 ฿56.6

223.35%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$0.64 ฿21.56

351.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.31 ฿10.32

632.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.36 ฿79.6

105.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.66 ฿124

115.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.95 ฿65.8

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.44 ฿48.51

145.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.33 ฿45.07

224.06%

Eggs

$3.64 $3.64

$2.28 ฿77.1

59.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 $8.92

$16.45 ฿556

-45.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 $11.49

$2.78 ฿94.0

313.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 $16.23

$9.31 ฿314

74.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.35 ฿79.5

96.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.97 ฿32.82

78.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.60 ฿53.9

133.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.50 ฿50.7

112.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.28 ฿43.15

47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.10 ฿37.22

147.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.71 ฿23.84

150.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$0.49 ฿16.38

232.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.56 $10.56

$4.14 ฿140

155.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$17.52 ฿592

-21.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.61 ฿54.5

43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.78 ฿94.0

1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.87 ฿29.33

160.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.8 $96.8

$54.1 ฿1,827

78.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.16 ฿39.08

248.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.53 ฿17.82

273.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.86 $43.86

$2.42 ฿81.8

1712.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.83%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

28.80%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-3.55%

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

$174 $174

$62.2 ฿2,100

179.86%

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

$51.5 $51.5

$12.17 ฿411

323.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 $55.2

$20.12 ฿680

174.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.52 $17.52

$37.31 ฿1,260

-53.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 $12.19

$6.49 ฿219

87.83%

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

$1,470 $1,470

$736 ฿24.9K

99.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

60.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 $56.2

$53.4 ฿1,802

5.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$24.64 ฿832

107.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.2 $89.2

$91.5 ฿3,089

-2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 $80.6

$71.9 ฿2,429

11.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 $1,594

$482 ฿16.3K

230.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$309 ฿10.4K

410.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,856 $2,856

$1,006 ฿34.0K

183.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,215 $2,215

$633 ฿21.4K

249.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,141 $5,141

$2,363 ฿79.8K

117.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,361 $2,361

$1,589 ฿53.7K

48.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,880 $3,880

$590 ฿19.9K

557.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Aurora, IL: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aurora, IL

$1.6K 56.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 80.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Aurora, IL

$356 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.1% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aurora, IL

$281 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 66.4% $186

Eating Out

Aurora, IL

$274 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 71.7% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Aurora, IL

$125 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.9% $16

Getting Around

Aurora, IL

$120 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 48.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Aurora, IL

$42 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,594 in Aurora, IL 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 Aurora, IL are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Aurora, IL versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aurora, IL

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

05:13 5:13 AM

12 h ahead of Aurora, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,542

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

Aurora, IL Chiang Mai 13,240 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Aurora, IL costs about 197% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,161 per month in Aurora, IL 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 $1,594 in Aurora, IL.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Aurora, IL and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,774 in Aurora, IL and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 66% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,774 in Aurora, IL 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.

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