Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnstable, MA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,398 in Barnstable, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barnstable, MA
Learn more

Barnstable, MA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Barnstable, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,398

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Barnstable, MA versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Barnstable, MA $2,398
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,546 in Barnstable, MA versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Barnstable, MA $3,546
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,695 in Barnstable, MA versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Barnstable, MA $4,695
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Barnstable, MA is roughly 159% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barnstable, MA is 77% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.23 $18.23

$2.29 ฿76.5

696.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$19.64 ฿656

276.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$5.61 ฿188

79.68%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$1.66 ฿55.6

139.76%

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

$2.12 $2.12

$0.70 ฿23.40

202.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.31 ฿10.24

438.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.41 ฿80.4

113.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.71 ฿124

85.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.95 ฿65.3

-46.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.41 ฿47.03

116.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.31 ฿43.62

212.98%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.18 ฿72.9

88.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$16.65 ฿556

-61.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$2.76 ฿92.2

214.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$9.11 ฿304

-5.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.39 ฿80.0

73.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.03 ฿34.26

74.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.63 ฿54.4

174.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.50 ฿50.0

140.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.29 ฿43.13

71.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.11 ฿37.03

92.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.72 ฿24.08

168.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.53 ฿17.59

360.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$4.31 ฿144

182.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 $12.75

$17.95 ฿600

-28.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.58 ฿52.9

37.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.84 ฿95.0

40.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.86 ฿28.86

126.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.68 $34.68

$53.3 ฿1,780

-34.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.21 ฿40.29

180.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.57 ฿18.99

557.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.52 $25.52

$2.35 ฿78.6

985.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.44 ฿47.96

-28.47%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

31.83%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-9.09%

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

$101 $101

$62.3 ฿2,083

62.17%

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

$60.7 $60.7

$12.11 ฿405

401.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$19.94 ฿666

219.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.77 $41.77

$37.07 ฿1,239

12.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 $24.38

$3.78 ฿126

544.97%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 $13.74

$6.50 ฿217

111.38%

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

$1,833 $1,833

$793 ฿26.5K

131.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K $29.7K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

100.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 $55.9

$53.7 ฿1,796

3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 $37.94

$24.62 ฿823

54.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 $80.0

$90.9 ฿3,036

-11.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 $99.5

$71.1 ฿2,378

39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$455 ฿15.2K

246.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 $1,315

$298 ฿9,954

341.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 $2,496

$908 ฿30.4K

174.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$554 ฿18.5K

293.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,718 $2,718

$1,931 ฿64.5K

40.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 $2,379

$1,445 ฿48.3K

64.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,584 $4,584

$591 ฿19.7K

675.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.57

19.21%

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

Last update for Barnstable, MA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnstable, MA

$1.3K 54.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 77.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Barnstable, MA

$322 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 26.9% $87

Eating Out

Barnstable, MA

$278 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 71.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnstable, MA

$226 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 58.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Barnstable, MA

$123 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 12.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Barnstable, MA

$69 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.7% $19

Getting Around

Barnstable, MA

$65 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 5.9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,579 in Barnstable, MA and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnstable, MA pays 676% 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: $74.0 in Barnstable, MA vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnstable, MA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

14:37 2:37 PM

11 h ahead of Barnstable, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barnstable, MA Chiang Mai 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnstable, MA
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

Barnstable, MA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barnstable, MA and Chiang Mai differ by about 159% in total monthly costs ($2,398 vs $925 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 676% higher in Barnstable, MA, 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: $1,579 in Barnstable, MA versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 54% less than in Barnstable, MA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,833 in Barnstable, MA versus $793 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,398 in Barnstable, MA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Barnstable, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Barnstable, MA 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 159% less than in Barnstable, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.