Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Burlington, NC vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,604
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,784 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,784
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,963 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burlington, NC $4,963
Chiang Mai $1,903

Burlington, NC costs about 181% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Burlington, NC sits 92% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.93 $18.93

$2.29 ฿76.5

726.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$19.64 ฿656

280.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$5.61 ฿188

94.12%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$1.66 ฿55.6

215.06%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$0.70 ฿23.40

258.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.31 ฿10.24

564.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.41 ฿80.4

154.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.71 ฿124

83.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.95 ฿65.3

-46.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.41 ฿47.03

153.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.31 ฿43.62

232.06%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.18 ฿72.9

93.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$16.65 ฿556

-25.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$2.76 ฿92.2

309.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 $15.63

$9.11 ฿304

71.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.39 ฿80.0

110.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.03 ฿34.26

51.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.63 ฿54.4

157.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.50 ฿50.0

220.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.29 ฿43.13

125.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.11 ฿37.03

148.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.72 ฿24.08

193.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.53 ฿17.59

292.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$4.31 ฿144

117.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 $14.08

$17.95 ฿600

-21.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.58 ฿52.9

17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.84 ฿95.0

17.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.86 ฿28.86

134.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.21 ฿40.29

180.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.57 ฿18.99

189.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 $28.99

$2.35 ฿78.6

1133.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.44 ฿47.96

-38.19%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

44.09%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-5.03%

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

$191 $191

$62.3 ฿2,083

205.81%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$12.11 ฿405

336.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$19.94 ฿666

235.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$37.07 ฿1,239

14.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$6.50 ฿217

105.23%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$793 ฿26.5K

61.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

60.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$53.7 ฿1,796

-5.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$24.62 ฿823

62.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$90.9 ฿3,036

-6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$71.1 ฿2,378

57.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$455 ฿15.2K

258.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 $1,378

$298 ฿9,954

362.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$908 ฿30.4K

192.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$554 ฿18.5K

304.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 $2,740

$1,931 ฿64.5K

41.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$1,445 ฿48.3K

67.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 78.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 39.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 69.6% $216

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 74.6% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$130 5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.5% $19

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 208% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Burlington, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Burlington, NC versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

11 h ahead of Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

Burlington, NC Chiang Mai 13,910 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,604 in Burlington, NC, $925 in Chiang Mai – roughly 181% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Burlington, NC 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 181%.

Kindergarten costs $1,282 per month in Burlington, NC and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Burlington, NC at $2,604. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Chiang Mai to $2,604 in Burlington, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Burlington, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.