Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellingham, WA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,010 in Bellingham, WA, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Bellingham, WA
Learn more

Bellingham, WA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Bellingham, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,010

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,010 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $3,010
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,448 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $4,448
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,886 per month in Bellingham, WA vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bellingham, WA $5,886
Chiang Mai $1,979

Bellingham, WA costs about 222% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bellingham, WA sits 121% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.70 $24.70

$2.24 ฿75.7

1002.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$19.00 ฿642

432.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$5.55 ฿188

138.92%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$1.67 ฿56.6

255.69%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$0.64 ฿21.56

393.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.31 ฿10.32

606.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$2.36 ฿79.6

191.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.66 ฿124

88.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.95 ฿65.8

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.44 ฿48.51

165.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.33 ฿45.07

269.17%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$2.28 ฿77.1

117.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.80 $18.80

$16.45 ฿556

14.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.61 $18.61

$2.78 ฿94.0

569.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 $23.00

$9.31 ฿314

147.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.35 ฿79.5

118.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.97 ฿32.82

94.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.60 ฿53.9

232.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$1.50 ฿50.7

321.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.28 ฿43.15

182.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.10 ฿37.22

187.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.71 ฿23.84

259.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.49 ฿16.38

404.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.44 $12.44

$4.14 ฿140

200.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.95 $14.95

$17.52 ฿592

-14.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.61 ฿54.5

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 $5.74

$2.78 ฿94.0

106.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.87 ฿29.33

128.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.51 $30.51

$54.1 ฿1,827

-43.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.16 ฿39.08

131.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.53 ฿17.82

220.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 $30.27

$2.42 ฿81.8

1150.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.45 ฿48.93

-0.69%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

30.64%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-4.54%

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

$217 $217

$62.2 ฿2,100

249.22%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$12.17 ฿411

371.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.3 $81.3

$20.12 ฿680

304.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 $62.0

$37.31 ฿1,260

66.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$3.77 ฿127

293.10%

Cinema Ticket

$18.31 $18.31

$6.49 ฿219

182.13%

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

$1,125 $1,125

$736 ฿24.9K

52.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

114.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 $80.5

$53.4 ฿1,802

50.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.32 $28.32

$24.64 ฿832

14.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$91.5 ฿3,089

18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$71.9 ฿2,429

107.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 $1,707

$482 ฿16.3K

254.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$309 ฿10.4K

371.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,598 $2,598

$1,006 ฿34.0K

158.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 $2,347

$633 ฿21.4K

270.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,441 $4,441

$2,363 ฿79.8K

87.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,925 $3,925

$1,589 ฿53.7K

147.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$590 ฿19.9K

644.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.57

19.93%

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

Last update for Bellingham, WA: 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

Bellingham, WA

$1.5K 48.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 78.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Bellingham, WA

$505 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 53.6% $270

Eating Out

Bellingham, WA

$378 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 79.5% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellingham, WA

$356 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.4% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Bellingham, WA

$165 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Bellingham, WA

$99 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 49% $48

Getting Around

Bellingham, WA

$50 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,707 in Bellingham, WA 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 Bellingham, WA are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Bellingham, WA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $505 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bellingham, WA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

03:51 3:51 AM

14 h ahead of Bellingham, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,482

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bellingham, WA Chiang Mai 11,460 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellingham, WA
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

Bellingham, WA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellingham, WA costs about 222% 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 $4,515 per month in Bellingham, WA 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 $1,707 in Bellingham, WA.

Kindergarten costs $1,125 per month in Bellingham, WA and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 115% more in Bellingham, WA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,010 in Bellingham, WA 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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