Cost of Living Comparison Between Carolina and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Carolina and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Carolina is 48.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 43.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Carolina is 93.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 46.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.08 $17.08
$2.03 ฿63.8
741.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.8 $79.8
$18.59 ฿585
329.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 $9.74
$7.48 ฿235
30.21%
Cappuccino
$3.23 $3.23
$2.00 ฿62.8
61.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 $1.73
$0.85 ฿26.63
103.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 $1.44
$0.35 ฿11.05
311.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.97 $2.97
$2.21 ฿69.5
34.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 $4.02
$3.76 ฿118
6.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.72 ฿54.0
41.28%
White Bread (500g)
$3.44 $3.44
$1.63 ฿51.4
111.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$1.16 ฿36.42
87.93%
Eggs
$6.02 $6.02
$1.98 ฿62.2
204.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.68 $8.68
$15.93 ฿501
-45.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.57 $8.57
$3.17 ฿99.6
170.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.76 $12.76
$10.90 ฿343
17.06%
Apples (1kg)
$5.78 $5.78
$2.65 ฿83.2
118.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 $2.75
$1.22 ฿38.45
125.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.88 $3.88
$1.70 ฿53.4
128.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.99 $3.99
$1.59 ฿49.99
150.94%
Potato (1kg)
$3.90 $3.90
$1.32 ฿41.63
195.45%
Onion (1kg)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.17 ฿36.74
158.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.13 $3.13
$0.68 ฿21.31
360.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.56 ฿17.52
244.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.27 $11.27
$4.51 ฿142
149.89%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$19.07 ฿600
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 $2.44
$1.77 ฿55.7
37.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 $3.26
$3.18 ฿100.0
2.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.73 $0.73
$0.96 ฿30.27
-23.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.90 ฿594
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.36 ฿42.69
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.35 ฿42.51
11.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.27 $15.27
$8.03 ฿253
90.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.24 ฿39.08
-12.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.4K $36.4K
$21.2K ฿665.4K
71.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K $26.2K
$21.8K ฿684.0K
20.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$321 $321
$71.2 ฿2,240
350.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$78.3 $78.3
$14.09 ฿443
455.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$70.9 $70.9
$17.47 ฿549
305.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$11.33 $11.33
$42.07 ฿1,323
-73.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.88 ฿216
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.54 $11.54
$5.94 ฿187
94.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$467 $467
$307 ฿9,664
51.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K $10.6K
$14.8K ฿465.1K
-28.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.18 $45.18
$55.7 ฿1,750
-18.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.2 $56.2
$26.79 ฿842
109.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 $90.6
$83.2 ฿2,617
8.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 $105
$70.1 ฿2,204
49.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$446 $446
$427 ฿13.4K
4.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$237 ฿7,454
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,766 $1,766
$802 ฿25.2K
120.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$503 ฿15.8K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,061 ฿64.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,533 ฿48.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Carolina
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,764 $1,764
$654 ฿20.6K
169.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.71
5
14.20%

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

Last update for Carolina: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

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

Similar cities