Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belmont, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,523 in Belmont, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Belmont, CA
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Belmont, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Belmont, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,523

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,523 per month in Belmont, CA vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belmont, CA $2,523
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,524 per month in Belmont, CA vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belmont, CA $3,524
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,524 per month in Belmont, CA vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belmont, CA $4,524
Chiang Mai $1,999

Belmont, CA costs about 170% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belmont, CA sits 87% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 $19.77

$2.13 ฿71.8

828.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$18.62 ฿626

216.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 $11.82

$5.60 ฿188

111.07%

Cappuccino

$4.54 $4.54

$1.66 ฿55.9

173.49%

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

$1.97 $1.97

$0.65 ฿21.75

203.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.30 ฿10.25

633.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.32 ฿78.1

110.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.67 ฿123

63.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$2.02 ฿67.8

-30.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.41 ฿47.34

138.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.39 ฿46.79

222.30%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$2.37 ฿79.6

113.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$16.52 ฿555

-59.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$2.67 ฿89.8

392.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 $13.27

$9.02 ฿303

47.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.40 ฿80.6

-10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.04 ฿35.01

114.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.66 ฿55.8

34.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.56 ฿52.4

42.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.24 ฿41.61

101.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.09 ฿36.53

76.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.76 ฿25.61

292.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.51 ฿17.29

92.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.58 $11.58

$4.12 ฿139

181.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 $6.07

$17.93 ฿603

-66.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.62 ฿54.6

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.82 ฿94.9

-28.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.93 ฿31.42

116.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$52.9 ฿1,778

13.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.18 ฿39.56

116.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.17 ฿5.76

935.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.97 $29.97

$1.81 ฿60.9

1555.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.47 ฿49.51

3.40%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

32.12%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

0.39%

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

$284 $284

$62.6 ฿2,103

353.48%

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

$41.84 $41.84

$11.60 ฿390

260.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.0 $76.0

$20.30 ฿683

274.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 $40.15

$37.88 ฿1,274

5.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$6.51 ฿219

126.11%

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

$2,098 $2,098

$727 ฿24.4K

188.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

86.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 $36.90

$53.5 ฿1,800

-31.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$24.80 ฿834

40.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.03 $49.03

$90.4 ฿3,039

-45.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$72.0 ฿2,420

56.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,235 $2,235

$481 ฿16.2K

364.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 $1,251

$310 ฿10.4K

303.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,640 $2,640

$1,058 ฿35.6K

149.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 $1,904

$659 ฿22.1K

189.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,178 $3,178

$2,418 ฿81.3K

31.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$1,609 ฿54.1K

47.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Belmont, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belmont, CA

$1.3K 49.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 75.2% $941

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belmont, CA

$402 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 76.5% $307

Groceries & Markets

Belmont, CA

$315 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 25% $79

Eating Out

Belmont, CA

$301 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 74.6% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Belmont, CA

$105 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 3.2% $3.3

Getting Around

Belmont, CA

$79 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 26.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Belmont, CA

$70 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 26.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,235 in Belmont, CA versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Belmont, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Belmont, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

15 h ahead of Belmont, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,729

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Belmont, CA Chiang Mai 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Belmont, CA
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

Belmont, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belmont, CA costs about 170% 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 $3,785 per month in Belmont, CA 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 $481 there versus $2,235 in Belmont, CA.

Kindergarten costs $2,098 per month in Belmont, CA and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Belmont, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,523 in Belmont, CA and $935 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.