Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckley, WA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,432 in Buckley, WA, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Buckley, WA
Learn more

Buckley, WA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Buckley, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,432

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,432 per month in Buckley, WA vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Buckley, WA $2,432
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in Buckley, WA vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Buckley, WA $3,581
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,730 per month in Buckley, WA vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Buckley, WA $4,730
Chiang Mai $1,903

Buckley, WA costs about 163% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buckley, WA sits 79% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.29 $25.29

$2.29 ฿76.5

1004.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.7 $65.7

$19.64 ฿656

234.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.37 $12.37

$5.61 ฿188

120.50%

Cappuccino

$6.27 $6.27

$1.66 ฿55.6

277.71%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$0.70 ฿23.40

318.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$0.31 ฿10.24

441.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 $7.11

$2.41 ฿80.4

195.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$3.71 ฿124

90.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.95 ฿65.3

-61.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.41 ฿47.03

56.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.31 ฿43.62

146.56%

Eggs

$4.01 $4.01

$2.18 ฿72.9

83.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$16.65 ฿556

-20.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 $8.86

$2.76 ฿92.2

221.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 $13.37

$9.11 ฿304

46.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.39 ฿80.0

35.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.03 ฿34.26

53.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.63 ฿54.4

77.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.50 ฿50.0

116.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.29 ฿43.13

112.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.11 ฿37.03

119.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.72 ฿24.08

226.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.53 ฿17.59

396.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$4.31 ฿144

133.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$17.95 ฿600

-60.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.58 ฿52.9

57.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.84 ฿95.0

-17.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.86 ฿28.86

119.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.21 ฿40.29

319.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.57 ฿18.99

114.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.78 $24.78

$2.35 ฿78.6

954.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.44 ฿47.96

-9.03%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

35.45%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-0.70%

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

$159 $159

$62.3 ฿2,083

154.40%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$12.11 ฿405

476.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.10 $40.10

$19.94 ฿666

101.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 $40.32

$37.07 ฿1,239

8.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 $12.14

$6.50 ฿217

86.77%

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

$1,428 $1,428

$793 ฿26.5K

80.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

59.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.07 $27.07

$53.7 ฿1,796

-49.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 $56.1

$24.62 ฿823

127.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.32 $41.32

$90.9 ฿3,036

-54.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.5 $65.5

$71.1 ฿2,378

-7.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 $1,571

$455 ฿15.2K

245.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$298 ฿9,954

333.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,461 $2,461

$908 ฿30.4K

170.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,186 $2,186

$554 ฿18.5K

294.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,699 $2,699

$1,931 ฿64.5K

39.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,412 $2,412

$1,445 ฿48.3K

66.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,544 $2,544

$591 ฿19.7K

330.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

5.57

22.26%

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

Last update for Buckley, WA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buckley, WA

$1.3K 53.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 76.9% $993

Eating Out

Buckley, WA

$383 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 79.5% $304

Groceries & Markets

Buckley, WA

$322 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 26.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buckley, WA

$269 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 64.9% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Buckley, WA

$85 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 26.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Buckley, WA

$65 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.5% $15

Getting Around

Buckley, WA

$19 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 224% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,571 in Buckley, WA versus $455 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 run about 331% higher in Buckley, WA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buckley, WA versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Buckley, WA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

17:52 5:52 PM

14 h ahead of Buckley, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buckley, WA Chiang Mai 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buckley, WA
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Buckley, WA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Buckley, WA is pricier by about 163%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,648 per month in Buckley, WA and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buckley, WA and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Buckley, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Buckley, WA at $2,432. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buckley, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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