Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerritos, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,092 in Cerritos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

Cost of Living Index in Cerritos, CA
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Cerritos, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cerritos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,092

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,092 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,092
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,252 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,252
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,413 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,413
Chiang Mai $1,903

Cerritos, CA costs about 234% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cerritos, CA sits 128% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.09 $25.09

$2.29 ฿76.5

995.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$19.64 ฿656

417.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.89 $15.89

$5.61 ฿188

183.24%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$1.66 ฿55.6

236.14%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$0.70 ฿23.40

357.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.31 ฿10.24

800.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 $7.91

$2.41 ฿80.4

228.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$3.71 ฿124

164.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.95 ฿65.3

-34.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.41 ฿47.03

248.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.31 ฿43.62

254.20%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$2.18 ฿72.9

157.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$16.65 ฿556

-29.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 $8.73

$2.76 ฿92.2

216.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 $19.88

$9.11 ฿304

118.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.39 ฿80.0

102.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.03 ฿34.26

133.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.63 ฿54.4

164.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$1.50 ฿50.0

281.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.29 ฿43.13

159.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.11 ฿37.03

150.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.72 ฿24.08

175.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.53 ฿17.59

369.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$4.31 ฿144

177.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$17.95 ฿600

-17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.58 ฿52.9

54.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.84 ฿95.0

-2.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.21 ฿40.29

157.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.57 ฿18.99

215.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.88 $31.88

$2.35 ฿78.6

1256.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.44 ฿47.96

7.64%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

37.68%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

0.40%

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

$215 $215

$62.3 ฿2,083

244.22%

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

$76.8 $76.8

$12.11 ฿405

534.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.1 $81.1

$19.94 ฿666

306.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$37.07 ฿1,239

223.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$19.89 $19.89

$6.50 ฿217

206.00%

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

$1,179 $1,179

$793 ฿26.5K

48.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.1K $32.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

116.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$53.7 ฿1,796

16.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.61 $47.61

$24.62 ฿823

93.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$90.9 ฿3,036

26.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$71.1 ฿2,378

44.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$455 ฿15.2K

336.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 $1,576

$298 ฿9,954

429.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,540 $3,540

$908 ฿30.4K

289.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.57

13.29%

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

Last update for Cerritos, CA: 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

Cerritos, CA

$1.6K 51%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 81.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Cerritos, CA

$427 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 44.8% $191

Eating Out

Cerritos, CA

$399 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 80.3% $320

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerritos, CA

$372 12%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 74.7% $278

Sport & Entertainment

Cerritos, CA

$160 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 68.7% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Cerritos, CA

$147 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 26.6% $39

Getting Around

Cerritos, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 403% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,989 in Cerritos, CA 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 $102 in Cerritos, CA versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $427 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cerritos, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

04:53 4:53 AM

14 h ahead of Cerritos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,041

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Cerritos, CA Chiang Mai 12,970 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Cerritos, CA
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

Cerritos, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,092 in Cerritos, CA, $925 in Chiang Mai – roughly 234% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,638 per month in Cerritos, CA 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 $102 in Cerritos, CA 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 81% more in Cerritos, CA, 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 Cerritos, CA at $3,092. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cerritos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cerritos, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Chiang Mai to $3,092 in Cerritos, CA. 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, Cerritos, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.