Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bethel, AK

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,651 in Bethel, AK, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Bethel, AK
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Bethel, AK Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bethel, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bethel, AK

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 Bethel, AK actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $2,651 in Bethel, AK.

Chiang Mai $936
Bethel, AK $2,651

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $3,886 in Bethel, AK.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bethel, AK $3,886

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $5,121 in Bethel, AK.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bethel, AK $5,121

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 65% less than in Bethel, AK, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Bethel, AK is 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$20.21 $20.21

-88.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$75.7 $75.7

-74.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.47 $11.47

-51.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$5.30 $5.30

-68.49%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.74 $2.74

-76.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.96 $1.96

-84.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.02 $6.02

-60.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$7.40 $7.40

-50.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.01 $1.01

93.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$3.52 $3.52

-59.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$4.27 $4.27

-68.85%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$4.29 $4.29

-46.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.33 $12.33

33.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$11.41 $11.41

-75.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.34 $17.34

-46.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$4.98 $4.98

-52.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.64 $1.64

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$4.40 $4.40

-63.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.61 $4.61

-67.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.78 $2.78

-53.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.95 $2.95

-62.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$2.10 $2.10

-66.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$2.29 $2.29

-78.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.98 $9.98

-58.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$14.84 $14.84

18.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.92 $1.92

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.27 $3.27

-14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.95 $1.95

-55.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$63.2 $63.2

-14.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$3.14 $3.14

-63.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.76 $1.76

-69.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$29.48 $29.48

-91.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.02 $1.02

42.16%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$28.1K $28.1K

-25.10%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$26.2K $26.2K

2.94%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$196 $196

-68.28%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$58.9 $58.9

-79.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$70.8 $70.8

-71.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$42.45 $42.45

-12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.96 $13.96

-53.51%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,425 $1,425

-48.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$23.6K $23.6K

-37.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$53.0 $53.0

0.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$41.55 $41.55

-40.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$89.3 $89.3

2.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$116 $116

-37.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,584 $1,584

-69.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,316 $1,316

-76.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,537 $2,537

-60.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$2,183 $2,183

-70.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,740 $2,740

-13.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,372 $2,372

-33.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.57

-15.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bethel, AK: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bethel, AK

$1.3K 49.7% 326% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bethel, AK

$397 15% 69.4% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bethel, AK

$135 5.1% 24.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bethel, AK

$326 12.3% 245% $231

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bethel, AK

$323 12.2% 317% $246

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bethel, AK

$83 3.1% 35.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bethel, AK

$70 2.7% 40% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,584 in Bethel, AK. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $76 in Bethel, AK for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $397 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Bethel, AK

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

15 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Bethel, AK 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bethel, AK

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 Bethel, AK: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,651 in Bethel, AK, so Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $3,976 in Bethel, AK to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,584 in Bethel, AK. 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 $2,651 in Bethel, AK – Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 14% less than in Bethel, AK. 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.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Bethel, AK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.