Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Billings, MT and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,349 in Billings, MT, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Billings, MT
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Billings, MT Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Billings, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,349

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,349 per month in Billings, MT vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Billings, MT $2,349
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,546 per month in Billings, MT vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Billings, MT $3,546
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,743 per month in Billings, MT vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Billings, MT $4,743
Chiang Mai $1,979

Billings, MT costs about 151% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Billings, MT sits 73% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.68 $25.68

$2.24 ฿75.6

1046.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$19.00 ฿641

301.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 $13.63

$5.55 ฿187

145.59%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$1.67 ฿56.5

285.63%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$0.64 ฿21.55

271.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.31 ฿10.31

432.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.36 ฿79.6

75.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.66 ฿124

34.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.95 ฿65.8

-48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.44 ฿48.48

145.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.33 ฿45.04

145.86%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$2.28 ฿77.1

35.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 $12.20

$16.45 ฿555

-25.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 $11.56

$2.78 ฿93.9

315.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$9.31 ฿314

85.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.35 ฿79.4

56.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$0.97 ฿32.80

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.60 ฿53.9

79.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.50 ฿50.6

210.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.28 ฿43.12

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.10 ฿37.19

82.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.71 ฿23.82

236.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.49 ฿16.37

204.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 $9.59

$4.14 ฿140

131.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 $10.91

$17.52 ฿591

-37.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.61 ฿54.5

36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.78 ฿94.0

87.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.87 ฿29.31

124.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.95 $27.95

$54.1 ฿1,826

-48.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.16 ฿39.06

112.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.53 ฿17.80

162.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 $59.6

$2.42 ฿81.8

2364.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 ฿48.90

-30.34%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

41.17%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-11.44%

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

$171 $171

$62.2 ฿2,098

174.44%

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

$49.63 $49.63

$12.17 ฿411

307.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.1 $83.1

$20.12 ฿679

313.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.40 $41.40

$37.31 ฿1,259

10.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.25 $15.25

$3.77 ฿127

304.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.89 $13.89

$6.49 ฿219

114.02%

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

$1,074 $1,074

$736 ฿24.8K

45.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K $19.4K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

31.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 $61.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

14.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 $66.3

$24.64 ฿831

168.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 $96.7

$91.5 ฿3,087

5.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$71.9 ฿2,428

69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 $1,183

$482 ฿16.3K

145.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 $1,049

$309 ฿10.4K

239.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 $1,894

$1,006 ฿33.9K

88.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 $1,834

$633 ฿21.4K

189.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 $2,472

$2,363 ฿79.8K

4.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,073 $2,073

$1,589 ฿53.6K

30.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$590 ฿19.9K

565.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

5.57

14.90%

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

Last update for Billings, MT: 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

Billings, MT

$1K 44.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 70.5% $740

Eating Out

Billings, MT

$370 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 79% $293

Groceries & Markets

Billings, MT

$357 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.3% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Billings, MT

$303 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.9% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Billings, MT

$156 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Billings, MT

$69 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.3% $19

Getting Around

Billings, MT

$45 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 35.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,183 in Billings, MT 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 Billings, MT are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Billings, MT versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Billings, MT

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

15:16 3:16 PM

14 h ahead of Billings, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,116

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Billings, MT Chiang Mai 12,320 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Billings, MT
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

Billings, MT vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Billings, MT costs about 151% 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 $3,524 per month in Billings, MT 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 $1,183 in Billings, MT.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Billings, MT. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,074 per month in Billings, MT 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 $2,349 in Billings, MT 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.

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