Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beaufort, SC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,419 in Beaufort, SC, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Beaufort, SC
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Beaufort, SC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Beaufort, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,419

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,419 in Beaufort, SC versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Beaufort, SC $2,419
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,526 in Beaufort, SC versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Beaufort, SC $3,526
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,634 in Beaufort, SC versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Beaufort, SC $4,634
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Beaufort, SC is roughly 161% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Beaufort, SC is 78% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.65 $18.65

$2.29 ฿76.5

714.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.5 $98.5

$19.64 ฿656

401.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 $11.38

$5.61 ฿188

102.85%

Cappuccino

$5.29 $5.29

$1.66 ฿55.6

218.67%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$0.70 ฿23.40

241.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.31 ฿10.24

551.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.41 ฿80.4

57.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.71 ฿124

8.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.95 ฿65.3

-48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.41 ฿47.03

131.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.31 ฿43.62

183.97%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$2.18 ฿72.9

80.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$16.65 ฿556

-47.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$2.76 ฿92.2

125.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 $11.03

$9.11 ฿304

21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.39 ฿80.0

94.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.03 ฿34.26

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.63 ฿54.4

130.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.50 ฿50.0

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.29 ฿43.13

92.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.11 ฿37.03

93.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.72 ฿24.08

173.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.53 ฿17.59

369.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.50 $9.50

$4.31 ฿144

120.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$17.95 ฿600

-16.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.58 ฿52.9

34.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.84 ฿95.0

11.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.21 ฿40.29

21.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.57 ฿18.99

96.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.01 $14.01

$2.35 ฿78.6

496.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.44 ฿47.96

-47.92%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

23.65%

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

$20.8K $20.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-22.22%

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

$93.9 $93.9

$62.3 ฿2,083

50.70%

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

$64.7 $64.7

$12.11 ฿405

434.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$19.94 ฿666

246.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.16 $25.16

$37.07 ฿1,239

-32.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 $9.89

$6.50 ฿217

52.15%

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

$1,294 $1,294

$793 ฿26.5K

63.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K $12.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-18.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$53.7 ฿1,796

19.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.36 $47.36

$24.62 ฿823

92.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$90.9 ฿3,036

22.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$71.1 ฿2,378

116.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 $1,516

$455 ฿15.2K

232.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 $1,361

$298 ฿9,954

356.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,827 $2,827

$908 ฿30.4K

211.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 $2,066

$554 ฿18.5K

273.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 $3,646

$1,931 ฿64.5K

88.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,592 $3,592

$1,445 ฿48.3K

148.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,035 $4,035

$591 ฿19.7K

582.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.57

20.11%

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

Last update for Beaufort, SC: 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

Beaufort, SC

$1.4K 56.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 78.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Beaufort, SC

$317 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 25.6% $81

Eating Out

Beaufort, SC

$292 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 73% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beaufort, SC

$228 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 58.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Beaufort, SC

$170 7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 36.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Beaufort, SC

$45 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 11.4% $5.1

Getting Around

Beaufort, SC

$7.1 * 0.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 756% $54

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 $1,516 in Beaufort, SC and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Beaufort, SC pays 583% 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: $99.0 in Beaufort, SC vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Beaufort, SC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

11 h ahead of Beaufort, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,029

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

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Between locations

Beaufort, SC Chiang Mai 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Beaufort, SC
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

Beaufort, SC vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 161% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 583% higher in Beaufort, SC, 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: $1,516 in Beaufort, SC versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Beaufort, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,419 per month in Beaufort, SC versus $925 in Chiang Mai – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,419 in Beaufort, SC, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Beaufort, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Beaufort, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Beaufort, SC 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 161% less than in Beaufort, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.