Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Akron, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,222 in Akron, OH, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Akron, OH
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Akron, OH Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Akron, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Akron, OH

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Akron, OH actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $2,222 in Akron, OH.

Chiang Mai $936
Akron, OH $2,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $3,373 in Akron, OH.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Akron, OH $3,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $4,525 in Akron, OH.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Akron, OH $4,525

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 58% less than in Akron, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Akron, OH is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$17.07 $17.07

-86.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$74.1 $74.1

-74.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.96 $9.96

-44.28%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.79 $3.79

-55.94%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.14 $2.14

-70.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.59 $1.59

-80.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.06 $5.06

-53.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.86 $4.86

-24.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.86 $0.86

126.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.46 $2.46

-41.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$7.28 $7.28

-81.73%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.99 $4.99

-54.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$15.59 $15.59

5.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$11.54 $11.54

-75.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.23 $19.23

-51.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$7.07 $7.07

-66.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.58 $1.58

-38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.70 $7.70

-79.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.92 $6.92

-78.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$3.81 $3.81

-66.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$3.81 $3.81

-71.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.49 $2.49

-71.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$2.06 $2.06

-76.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.13 $10.13

-59.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$14.37 $14.37

21.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.75 $1.75

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.09 $5.09

-45.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.23 $1.23

-29.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$50.2 $50.2

7.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.01 $5.01

-76.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.79 $1.79

-70.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.02 $1.02

42.16%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$27.8K $27.8K

-24.34%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

1.43%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$244 $244

-74.55%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$41.85 $41.85

-70.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$80.7 $80.7

-75.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$43.89 $43.89

-14.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.57 $17.57

-78.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.30 $12.30

-47.24%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,048 $1,048

-29.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$12.5K $12.5K

18.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$52.5 $52.5

1.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$64.0 $64.0

-61.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$104 $104

-11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$126 $126

-43.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,020 $1,020

-52.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$843 $843

-63.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,545 $1,545

-34.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,518 $1,518

-58.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,483 $1,483

59.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,196 $1,196

32.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,257 $3,257

-81.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.08

-8.39%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Akron, OH: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Akron, OH

$843 38% 173% $534

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Akron, OH

$456 20.5% 94.6% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Akron, OH

$156 7% 43.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Akron, OH

$367 16.5% 288% $272

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Akron, OH

$262 11.8% 238% $184

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Akron, OH

$69 3.1% 12.5% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Akron, OH

$69 3.1% 36.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,020 in Akron, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akron, OH pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $74 in Akron, OH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $456 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Akron, OH

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

197,542

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Akron, OH 13,360 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Akron, OH

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

Chiang Mai vs Akron, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,222 in Akron, OH, so Chiang Mai is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,020 in Akron, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $2,222 in Akron, OH – Chiang Mai is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Akron, OH runs roughly 7% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Akron, OH on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.