Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentonville, AR and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,339 in Bentonville, AR, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Bentonville, AR
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Bentonville, AR Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bentonville, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,339

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,339 per month in Bentonville, AR vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bentonville, AR $2,339
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,372 per month in Bentonville, AR vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bentonville, AR $3,372
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,406 per month in Bentonville, AR vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bentonville, AR $4,406
Chiang Mai $1,979

Bentonville, AR costs about 150% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bentonville, AR sits 72% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.48 $20.48

$2.24 ฿75.7

814.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$19.00 ฿642

214.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.48 $12.48

$5.55 ฿188

124.86%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$1.67 ฿56.6

225.15%

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

$2.49 $2.49

$0.64 ฿21.56

289.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.31 ฿10.32

470.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 $6.37

$2.36 ฿79.6

169.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 $7.65

$3.66 ฿124

109.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.95 ฿65.8

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.44 ฿48.51

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.33 ฿45.07

228.57%

Eggs

$3.88 $3.88

$2.28 ฿77.1

70.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 $9.06

$16.45 ฿556

-44.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$2.78 ฿94.0

238.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 $13.54

$9.31 ฿314

45.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.35 ฿79.5

77.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.97 ฿32.82

30.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.60 ฿53.9

100.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.50 ฿50.7

70.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.28 ฿43.15

36.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.10 ฿37.22

98.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.71 ฿23.84

157.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.49 ฿16.38

330.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.22 $8.22

$4.14 ฿140

98.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.97 $11.97

$17.52 ฿592

-31.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.61 ฿54.5

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.78 ฿94.0

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.16 ฿39.08

118.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.53 ฿17.82

137.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 $60.6

$2.42 ฿81.8

2404.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.45 ฿48.93

-36.55%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

36.58%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-4.57%

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

$191 $191

$62.2 ฿2,100

207.22%

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

$51.1 $51.1

$12.17 ฿411

319.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.4 $63.4

$20.12 ฿680

215.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.57 $21.57

$37.31 ฿1,260

-42.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.77 ฿127

36.07%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$6.49 ฿219

133.74%

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

$1,150 $1,150

$736 ฿24.9K

56.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

42.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.79 $46.79

$53.4 ฿1,802

-12.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.98 $38.98

$24.64 ฿832

58.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 $66.0

$91.5 ฿3,089

-27.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 $76.8

$71.9 ฿2,429

6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$482 ฿16.3K

238.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 $1,217

$309 ฿10.4K

293.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,224 $3,224

$1,006 ฿34.0K

220.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 $1,992

$633 ฿21.4K

214.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,211 $5,211

$2,363 ฿79.8K

120.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,259 $2,259

$1,589 ฿53.7K

42.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,617 $5,617

$590 ฿19.9K

852.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.57

17.77%

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

Last update for Bentonville, AR: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentonville, AR

$1.2K 52%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 74.6% $908

Eating Out

Bentonville, AR

$331 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.5% $253

Groceries & Markets

Bentonville, AR

$323 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentonville, AR

$305 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 69.1% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Bentonville, AR

$103 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bentonville, AR

$52 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Bentonville, AR

$8.8 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 597% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Bentonville, AR 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 Bentonville, AR are about 9.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Bentonville, AR versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bentonville, AR

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

04:38 4:38 AM

12 h ahead of Bentonville, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,164

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

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Between locations

Bentonville, AR Chiang Mai 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Bentonville, AR
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

Bentonville, AR vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,339 in Bentonville, AR, $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,508 per month in Bentonville, AR 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 $1,632 in Bentonville, AR.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,339 in Bentonville, AR and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 60% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,150 per month in Bentonville, AR and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,339 in Bentonville, AR 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, Bentonville, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.