Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,818 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,818

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,818 in Burlington, IA versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Burlington, IA $1,818
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Burlington, IA versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Burlington, IA $2,753
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,688 in Burlington, IA versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Burlington, IA $3,688
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Burlington, IA is roughly 94% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Burlington, IA is 34% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.52 $11.52

$2.13 ฿72.0

440.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$18.62 ฿628

219.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$5.60 ฿189

63.04%

Cappuccino

$4.77 $4.77

$1.66 ฿56.1

187.35%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$0.65 ฿21.83

204.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.30 ฿10.29

550.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.32 ฿78.4

51.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.67 ฿124

23.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.02 ฿68.0

-57.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.41 ฿47.51

103.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.39 ฿46.96

221.58%

Eggs

$3.03 $3.03

$2.37 ฿79.9

27.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 $11.60

$16.52 ฿557

-29.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$2.67 ฿90.1

346.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 $14.30

$9.02 ฿304

58.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.40 ฿80.9

74.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.04 ฿35.13

83.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.66 ฿56.0

183.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.56 ฿52.6

198.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.24 ฿41.76

123.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.09 ฿36.66

143.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.76 ฿25.70

92.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.51 ฿17.35

315.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$4.12 ฿139

96.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 $15.91

$17.93 ฿605

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.62 ฿54.8

23.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.82 ฿95.2

-16.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.93 ฿31.53

112.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 $61.0

$52.9 ฿1,785

15.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.18 ฿39.70

311.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.17 ฿5.79

517.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.11 $22.11

$1.81 ฿61.1

1121.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.47 ฿49.69

-40.14%

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

$23.0K $23.0K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

9.49%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

-5.25%

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

$184 $184

$62.6 ฿2,111

193.57%

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

$46.38 $46.38

$11.60 ฿392

299.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 $58.7

$20.30 ฿685

189.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.81 $39.81

$37.88 ฿1,278

5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$6.51 ฿220

81.72%

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

$1,186 $1,186

$727 ฿24.5K

63.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-7.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.45 $44.45

$53.5 ฿1,807

-16.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 $30.47

$24.80 ฿837

22.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$90.4 ฿3,050

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.77 $37.77

$72.0 ฿2,428

-47.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 $735

$481 ฿16.2K

52.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$310 ฿10.5K

128.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 $1,208

$1,058 ฿35.7K

14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 $1,285

$659 ฿22.2K

95.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,057 $1,057

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-56.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,034 $1,034

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-35.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,380 $4,380

$595 ฿20.1K

636.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

5.57

17.41%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 38.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 56.2% $397

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$371 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 36.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$289 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.3% $194

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$219 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 65.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$91 5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 19.6% $18

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$79 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 25.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$63 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 19.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Burlington, IA and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $60 in Burlington, IA vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

07:46 7:46 AM

13 h ahead of Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burlington, IA Chiang Mai 13,310 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, IA
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

Burlington, IA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Burlington, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Burlington, IA is about 7.4 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: $735 in Burlington, IA versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,186 in Burlington, IA versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Burlington, IA. 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, Burlington, IA 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 49% less than in Burlington, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.