Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, SC and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Charleston, SC is 110% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 242% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Charleston, SC is 123.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 213.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 $17.68

$2.03 ฿64.6

770.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$18.59 ฿593

326.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 $9.90

$7.48 ฿238

32.35%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$2.00 ฿63.7

144.50%

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

$2.50 $2.50

$0.85 ฿27.01

194.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.35 ฿11.21

442.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$2.21 ฿70.5

170.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 $7.83

$3.76 ฿120

108.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.72 ฿54.8

-44.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.63 ฿52.1

128.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.16 ฿36.93

168.97%

Eggs

$4.47 $4.47

$1.98 ฿63.1

125.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$15.93 ฿508

-11.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$3.17 ฿101

364.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.12 $17.12

$10.90 ฿348

57.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.65 ฿84.3

117.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.22 ฿38.98

36.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$1.70 ฿54.1

285.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.59 ฿50.7

152.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.32 ฿42.21

175.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.17 ฿37.25

134.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.68 ฿21.61

152.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.56 ฿17.76

246.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.57 $7.57

$4.51 ฿144

67.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 $20.15

$19.07 ฿608

5.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.77 ฿56.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 $3.16

$3.18 ฿101

-0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.96 ฿30.70

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.0 $58.0

$18.90 ฿602

206.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.36 ฿43.29

124.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.35 ฿43.11

19.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.05 $20.05

$8.03 ฿256

149.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.24 ฿39.62

-33.06%

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

$33.4K $33.4K

$21.2K ฿674.7K

58.02%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$21.8K ฿693.5K

11.93%

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

$141 $141

$71.2 ฿2,271

97.98%

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

$54.8 $54.8

$14.09 ฿449

288.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$17.47 ฿557

309.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.24 $29.24

$42.07 ฿1,341

-30.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.66 $18.66

$6.88 ฿219

171.22%

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 $13.32

$5.94 ฿189

124.24%

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

$1,324 $1,324

$307 ฿9,799

330.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$14.8K ฿471.6K

63.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.47 $49.47

$55.7 ฿1,775

-11.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.29 $36.29

$26.79 ฿854

35.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 $94.6

$83.2 ฿2,653

13.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 $156

$70.1 ฿2,235

122.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 $2,563

$427 ฿13.6K

499.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 $1,723

$237 ฿7,559

626.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,475 $4,475

$802 ฿25.6K

458.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,666 $2,666

$503 ฿16.0K

429.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,720 $5,720

$2,061 ฿65.7K

177.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,966 $2,966

$1,533 ฿48.9K

93.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,596 $4,596

$654 ฿20.8K

603.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

30.20%

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

Last update for Charleston, SC: February 28, 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

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