Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnegat, NJ and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,609 in Barnegat, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Barnegat, NJ
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Barnegat, NJ Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Barnegat, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Barnegat, NJ versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Barnegat, NJ $2,609
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,925 in Barnegat, NJ versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Barnegat, NJ $3,925
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,242 in Barnegat, NJ versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Barnegat, NJ $5,242
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Barnegat, NJ is roughly 179% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barnegat, NJ is 93% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.22 $18.22

$2.13 ฿71.8

755.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$18.62 ฿626

413.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 $10.68

$5.60 ฿188

90.71%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$1.66 ฿55.9

211.45%

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

$3.30 $3.30

$0.65 ฿21.75

407.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$0.30 ฿10.25

806.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$2.32 ฿78.1

205.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.67 ฿123

122.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.02 ฿67.8

-45.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.41 ฿47.34

187.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.39 ฿46.79

203.60%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$2.37 ฿79.6

105.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 $12.57

$16.52 ฿555

-23.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$2.67 ฿89.8

387.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.55 $18.55

$9.02 ฿303

105.65%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.40 ฿80.6

157.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.04 ฿35.01

48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.66 ฿55.8

234.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.56 ฿52.4

148.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.24 ฿41.61

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.09 ฿36.53

161.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.76 ฿25.61

210.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.51 ฿17.29

337.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.69 $13.69

$4.12 ฿139

232.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.74 $15.74

$17.93 ฿603

-12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.62 ฿54.6

61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.82 ฿94.9

39.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.93 ฿31.42

119.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.0 $58.0

$52.9 ฿1,778

9.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.18 ฿39.56

50.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$0.17 ฿5.76

711.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.24 $24.24

$1.81 ฿60.9

1239.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.47 ฿49.51

-34.01%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

58.52%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

1.04%

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

$211 $211

$62.6 ฿2,103

237.47%

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

$65.9 $65.9

$11.60 ฿390

467.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 $81.5

$20.30 ฿683

301.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.06 $40.06

$37.88 ฿1,274

5.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$6.51 ฿219

123.04%

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

$1,951 $1,951

$727 ฿24.4K

168.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

24.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$53.5 ฿1,800

-1.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 $62.6

$24.80 ฿834

152.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$90.4 ฿3,039

1.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$72.0 ฿2,420

52.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 $1,398

$481 ฿16.2K

190.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 $1,217

$310 ฿10.4K

292.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$1,058 ฿35.6K

122.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$659 ฿22.1K

220.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,227 $3,227

$2,418 ฿81.3K

33.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,609 ฿54.1K

32.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

5.57

23.88%

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

Last update for Barnegat, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnegat, NJ

$1.2K 46.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 74.5% $907

Groceries & Markets

Barnegat, NJ

$431 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 45.1% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnegat, NJ

$358 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.6% $264

Eating Out

Barnegat, NJ

$316 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 75.7% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Barnegat, NJ

$143 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 24.1% $34

Getting Around

Barnegat, NJ

$75 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 21.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Barnegat, NJ

$69 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 26.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,398 in Barnegat, NJ and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $96 in Barnegat, NJ vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnegat, NJ

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

05:56 5:56 AM

12 h ahead of Barnegat, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Barnegat, NJ Chiang Mai 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnegat, NJ
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

Barnegat, NJ vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,609 in Barnegat, NJ and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,913 in Barnegat, NJ and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,398 in Barnegat, NJ versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,951 in Barnegat, NJ versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Barnegat, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Barnegat, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.