Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,697 in Brentwood, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,697

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,697 in Brentwood, CA versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Brentwood, CA $2,697
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,081 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Brentwood, CA $4,081
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,466 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Brentwood, CA $5,466
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Brentwood, CA is roughly 188% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brentwood, CA is 99% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.20 $25.20

$2.13 ฿71.8

1083.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 $108

$18.62 ฿626

480.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.28 $15.28

$5.60 ฿188

172.86%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$1.66 ฿55.9

253.61%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$0.65 ฿21.75

353.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.30 ฿10.25

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.94 $8.94

$2.32 ฿78.1

285.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.67 ฿123

115.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.02 ฿67.8

-35.64%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.41 ฿47.34

207.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.39 ฿46.79

250.36%

Eggs

$5.35 $5.35

$2.37 ฿79.6

125.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.14 $24.14

$16.52 ฿555

46.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$2.67 ฿89.8

346.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$9.02 ฿303

47.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.40 ฿80.6

134.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.04 ฿35.01

199.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.66 ฿55.8

183.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$1.56 ฿52.4

276.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.24 ฿41.61

163.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.09 ฿36.53

254.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 $3.01

$0.76 ฿25.61

296.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$0.51 ฿17.29

409.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.93 $11.93

$4.12 ฿139

189.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.83 $12.83

$17.93 ฿603

-28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.62 ฿54.6

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.82 ฿94.9

-10.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$0.93 ฿31.42

122.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 $53.0

$52.9 ฿1,778

0.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.18 ฿39.56

232.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.17 ฿5.76

935.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.56 $33.56

$1.81 ฿60.9

1754.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.47 ฿49.51

4.76%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

33.45%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

2.26%

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

$140 $140

$62.6 ฿2,103

124.47%

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

$38.39 $38.39

$11.60 ฿390

230.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 $62.6

$20.30 ฿683

208.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.51 $37.51

$37.88 ฿1,274

-0.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$18.26 $18.26

$6.51 ฿219

180.49%

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

$2,138 $2,138

$727 ฿24.4K

194.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K $20.0K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

20.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$53.5 ฿1,800

-1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.74 $39.74

$24.80 ฿834

60.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 $75.8

$90.4 ฿3,039

-16.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 $60.1

$72.0 ฿2,420

-16.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 $1,529

$481 ฿16.2K

217.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 $1,338

$310 ฿10.4K

331.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,591 $2,591

$1,058 ฿35.6K

144.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,236 $2,236

$659 ฿22.1K

239.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,187 $3,187

$2,418 ฿81.3K

31.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,033 $2,033

$1,609 ฿54.1K

26.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,334 $6,334

$595 ฿20.0K

964.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.57

20.11%

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

Last update for Brentwood, CA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 49.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 76.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 49.3% $230

Eating Out

Brentwood, CA

$400 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 80.9% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, CA

$241 9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.9% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, CA

$103 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 5.5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, CA

$74 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 31.2% $23

Getting Around

Brentwood, CA

$74 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 20.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,529 in Brentwood, CA and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $108 in Brentwood, CA vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

15 h ahead of Brentwood, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Brentwood, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,697 in Brentwood, CA and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Brentwood, CA is about 11 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,529 in Brentwood, CA versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Brentwood, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,697 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Brentwood, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.