Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookhaven, NY and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Brookhaven, NY
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Brookhaven, NY Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brookhaven, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,722

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Brookhaven, NY $2,722
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,065 in Brookhaven, NY versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Brookhaven, NY $4,065
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,408 in Brookhaven, NY versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Brookhaven, NY $5,408
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Brookhaven, NY is roughly 194% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brookhaven, NY is 101% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.74 $24.74

$2.29 ฿76.5

980.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 $98.9

$19.64 ฿656

403.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$5.61 ฿188

99.64%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$1.66 ฿55.6

222.29%

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

$2.24 $2.24

$0.70 ฿23.40

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.31 ฿10.24

396.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.01 $8.01

$2.41 ฿80.4

232.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.71 ฿124

121.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.95 ฿65.3

-35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.41 ฿47.03

205.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.76 $7.76

$1.31 ฿43.62

492.37%

Eggs

$5.75 $5.75

$2.18 ฿72.9

163.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$16.65 ฿556

-24.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$2.76 ฿92.2

321.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$9.11 ฿304

87.38%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.39 ฿80.0

131.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.03 ฿34.26

67.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$1.63 ฿54.4

277.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$1.50 ฿50.0

309.33%

Potato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.29 ฿43.13

324.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.11 ฿37.03

239.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.72 ฿24.08

287.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.53 ฿17.59

454.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.50 $11.50

$4.31 ฿144

166.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.08 $24.08

$17.95 ฿600

34.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.58 ฿52.9

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.84 ฿95.0

93.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.86 ฿28.86

116.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.21 ฿40.29

142.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.57 ฿18.99

256.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.54 $23.54

$2.35 ฿78.6

901.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.44 ฿47.96

-23.61%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

33.04%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-0.34%

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

$211 $211

$62.3 ฿2,083

238.17%

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

$75.6 $75.6

$12.11 ฿405

524.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 $64.3

$19.94 ฿666

222.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.96 $40.96

$37.07 ฿1,239

10.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$6.50 ฿217

127.08%

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

$2,237 $2,237

$793 ฿26.5K

182.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

59.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.13 $41.13

$53.7 ฿1,796

-23.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$24.62 ฿823

129.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 $76.1

$90.9 ฿3,036

-16.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$71.1 ฿2,378

122.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 $1,587

$455 ฿15.2K

248.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$298 ฿9,954

328.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 $2,527

$908 ฿30.4K

178.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$554 ฿18.5K

282.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,099 $3,099

$1,931 ฿64.5K

60.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,445 ฿48.3K

47.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Brookhaven, NY: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookhaven, NY

$1.3K 46.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 76.6% $977

Groceries & Markets

Brookhaven, NY

$489 18%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 51.8% $253

Eating Out

Brookhaven, NY

$367 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 78.6% $289

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookhaven, NY

$351 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 73.1% $256

Clothing & Footwear

Brookhaven, NY

$149 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 27.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Brookhaven, NY

$70 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29% $20

Getting Around

Brookhaven, NY

$21 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 197% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,587 in Brookhaven, NY and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $99.0 in Brookhaven, NY vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $489 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookhaven, NY

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:58 9:58 AM

20:58 8:58 PM

11 h ahead of Brookhaven, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,674

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brookhaven, NY Chiang Mai 13,340 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookhaven, NY
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

Brookhaven, NY vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 194% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,083 in Brookhaven, NY and $1,388 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: $1,587 in Brookhaven, NY versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in Brookhaven, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,722 per month in Brookhaven, NY versus $925 in Chiang Mai – a 194% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,722 in Brookhaven, NY, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Brookhaven, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brookhaven, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Brookhaven, NY and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 194% less than in Brookhaven, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.