Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berwyn, IL and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,559 in Berwyn, IL, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Berwyn, IL
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Berwyn, IL Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Berwyn, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,559 in Berwyn, IL versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Berwyn, IL $2,559
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,737 in Berwyn, IL versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Berwyn, IL $3,737
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,916 in Berwyn, IL versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Berwyn, IL $4,916
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Berwyn, IL is roughly 173% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Berwyn, IL is 88% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$2.24 ฿75.7

806.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 $75.9

$19.00 ฿642

299.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$5.55 ฿188

82.52%

Cappuccino

$4.84 $4.84

$1.67 ฿56.6

189.82%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$0.64 ฿21.56

320.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.31 ฿10.32

541.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$2.36 ฿79.6

158.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.66 ฿124

95.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.95 ฿65.8

-57.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.44 ฿48.51

149.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.33 ฿45.07

282.71%

Eggs

$4.50 $4.50

$2.28 ฿77.1

97.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 $10.00

$16.45 ฿556

-39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.59 $13.59

$2.78 ฿94.0

388.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 $16.83

$9.31 ฿314

80.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$2.35 ฿79.5

125.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.97 ฿32.82

54.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.60 ฿53.9

145.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.50 ฿50.7

228.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.28 ฿43.15

99.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.10 ฿37.22

127.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.71 ฿23.84

202.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.49 ฿16.38

373.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$4.14 ฿140

156.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 $15.13

$17.52 ฿592

-13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.61 ฿54.5

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.78 ฿94.0

21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.87 ฿29.33

156.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 $63.5

$54.1 ฿1,827

17.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.16 ฿39.08

147.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$0.53 ฿17.82

169.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.42 $21.42

$2.42 ฿81.8

785.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.45 ฿48.93

-13.79%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

63.15%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-5.67%

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

$194 $194

$62.2 ฿2,100

212.59%

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

$66.4 $66.4

$12.17 ฿411

445.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$20.12 ฿680

209.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.97 $45.97

$37.31 ฿1,260

23.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 $14.27

$6.49 ฿219

119.88%

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

$1,813 $1,813

$736 ฿24.9K

146.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

66.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 $53.6

$53.4 ฿1,802

0.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.07 $41.07

$24.64 ฿832

66.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 $95.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

3.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$71.9 ฿2,429

63.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 $1,493

$482 ฿16.3K

209.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 $1,223

$309 ฿10.4K

296.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,214 $2,214

$1,006 ฿34.0K

120.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 $1,964

$633 ฿21.4K

210.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,605 $2,605

$2,363 ฿79.8K

10.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,619 $2,619

$1,589 ฿53.7K

64.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.57

19.39%

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

Last update for Berwyn, IL: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berwyn, IL

$1.2K 47.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 74.7% $914

Groceries & Markets

Berwyn, IL

$403 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 41.8% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berwyn, IL

$323 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 70.7% $228

Eating Out

Berwyn, IL

$314 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.3% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Berwyn, IL

$138 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.4% $30

Getting Around

Berwyn, IL

$82 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 25.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Berwyn, IL

$75 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,493 in Berwyn, IL and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76 in Berwyn, IL vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Berwyn, IL

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

06:08 6:08 AM

12 h ahead of Berwyn, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,250

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 →

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Berwyn, IL Chiang Mai 13,240 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Berwyn, IL
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

Berwyn, IL vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,838 in Berwyn, IL and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,493 in Berwyn, IL versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,813 in Berwyn, IL versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Berwyn, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Berwyn, IL and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Berwyn, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.