Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baltimore, MD and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,499 in Baltimore, MD, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Baltimore, MD
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Baltimore, MD Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Baltimore, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,499

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Baltimore, MD versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Baltimore, MD $2,499
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,913 in Baltimore, MD versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Baltimore, MD $3,913
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,327 in Baltimore, MD versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Baltimore, MD $5,327
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Baltimore, MD is roughly 166% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baltimore, MD is 85% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.77 $17.77

$2.26 ฿75.4

686.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 $96.2

$19.18 ฿641

401.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$5.59 ฿187

93.56%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$1.72 ฿57.6

204.65%

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

$3.43 $3.43

$0.64 ฿21.54

435.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.33 ฿11.18

693.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$2.36 ฿78.7

197.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$3.90 ฿130

103.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.05 ฿68.6

-43.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.40 ฿46.70

197.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.28 ฿42.89

219.53%

Eggs

$4.80 $4.80

$2.25 ฿75.3

113.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$16.94 ฿566

-24.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 $12.73

$2.74 ฿91.6

364.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 $18.47

$9.36 ฿313

97.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$2.40 ฿80.3

145.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.01 ฿33.92

50.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$1.61 ฿53.9

257.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.52 ฿50.7

218.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.28 ฿42.90

119.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.11 ฿37.22

161.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.72 ฿24.09

233.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.52 ฿17.54

340.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.13 $14.13

$4.33 ฿145

226.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 $15.40

$17.73 ฿593

-13.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.63 ฿54.4

58.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.85 ฿95.3

37.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.85 ฿28.31

142.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.0 $78.0

$53.9 ฿1,801

44.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.17 ฿39.18

49.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$0.57 ฿19.00

142.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.39 $24.39

$2.37 ฿79.2

929.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.45 ฿48.32

-28.97%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

77.75%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-3.66%

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

$216 $216

$62.3 ฿2,083

247.06%

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

$65.8 $65.8

$12.27 ฿410

436.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 $89.3

$19.97 ฿668

347.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 $50.2

$37.91 ฿1,267

32.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.01 $48.01

$3.76 ฿126

1176.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 $15.23

$6.71 ฿224

126.97%

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

$1,980 $1,980

$797 ฿26.6K

148.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K $35.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

139.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$53.3 ฿1,780

-0.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.4 $63.4

$25.05 ฿837

152.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 $91.9

$91.6 ฿3,062

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$73.5 ฿2,455

52.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 $1,751

$464 ฿15.5K

277.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 $1,060

$305 ฿10.2K

247.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 $2,362

$915 ฿30.6K

158.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,064 $2,064

$552 ฿18.5K

273.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,512 $2,512

$1,912 ฿63.9K

31.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,353 $2,353

$1,438 ฿48.1K

63.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,460 $4,460

$595 ฿19.9K

649.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

5.57

20.65%

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

Last update for Baltimore, MD: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baltimore, MD

$1.1K 42.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 71.3% $756

Groceries & Markets

Baltimore, MD

$435 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 45.2% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baltimore, MD

$371 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.5% $277

Eating Out

Baltimore, MD

$313 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 74.7% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Baltimore, MD

$144 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 24.1% $35

Getting Around

Baltimore, MD

$95 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 35.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Baltimore, MD

$81 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 36.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,751 in Baltimore, MD and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baltimore, MD pays 649% 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: $96.0 in Baltimore, MD vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $435 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Baltimore, MD

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

11 h ahead of Baltimore, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

585,708

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baltimore, MD Chiang Mai 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Baltimore, MD
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

Baltimore, MD vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 166% lower than in Baltimore, MD. 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 649% higher in Baltimore, MD, 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: $1,751 in Baltimore, MD versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Baltimore, MD. 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 $19.00 versus $96.0 in Baltimore, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,499 in Baltimore, MD, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Baltimore, MD. 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 $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Baltimore, MD 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 166% less than in Baltimore, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.