Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bowling Green, OH

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Bowling Green, OH: $936 and $979 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bowling Green, OH
Learn more

Bowling Green, OH Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bowling Green, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $979 in Bowling Green, OH, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bowling Green, OH $979

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,988 in Bowling Green, OH, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bowling Green, OH $1,988

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,997 in Bowling Green, OH, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bowling Green, OH $2,997

Chiang Mai is about 4% cheaper than Bowling Green, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Bowling Green, OH are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bowling Green, OH 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$12.12 $12.12

-81.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$44.47 $44.47

-57.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.88 $9.88

-43.83%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.44 $4.44

-62.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.30 $2.30

-72.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.33 $2.33

-86.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.96 $3.96

-40.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.91 $3.91

-6.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.62 $0.62

214.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.65 $2.65

-45.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.01 $2.01

-33.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.99 $2.99

-23.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.33 $7.33

124.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.21 $6.21

-55.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$22.32 $22.32

-58.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$5.95 $5.95

-60.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.30 $1.30

-25.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.87 $3.87

-58.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.21 $4.21

-64.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.01 $2.01

-36.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.74 $1.74

-36.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.39 $2.39

-70.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.28 $1.28

-61.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.07 $11.07

-62.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.05 $12.05

45.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.02 $2.02

-20.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.60 $3.60

-22.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.15 $5.15

-77.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.88 $1.88

-71.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$49.42 $49.42

-95.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.99 $0.99

46.46%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$27.9K $27.9K

-24.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$26.7K $26.7K

0.97%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$132 $132

-52.92%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$51.2 $51.2

-76.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$41.04 $41.04

-50.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$34.80 $34.80

7.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$24.73 $24.73

-84.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.54 $12.54

-48.25%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$1,355 $1,355

-45.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$53.1 $53.1

0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$39.47 $39.47

-37.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$106 $106

-13.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$94.2 $94.2

-23.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$742 $742

-34.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$834 $834

-24.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,371 $4,371

-86.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.24

-10.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bowling Green, OH: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bowling Green, OH

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bowling Green, OH

$323 32.9% 37.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bowling Green, OH

$132 13.5% 21.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bowling Green, OH

$224 22.9% 137% $130

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bowling Green, OH

$226 23.1% 191% $148

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bowling Green, OH

$15 * 1.5% 76.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bowling Green, OH

$60 6.1% 19.1% $9.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $742 in Bowling Green, OH. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bowling Green, OH are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $44 in Bowling Green, OH. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $323 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Bowling Green, OH

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

12:09 12:09 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

53,176

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bowling Green, OH 13,320 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bowling Green, 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 Bowling Green, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $979 in Bowling Green, OH – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,469 in Bowling Green, OH. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $742 in Bowling Green, OH.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $979 in Bowling Green, OH. That’s a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,355 in Bowling Green, OH. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $979 in Bowling Green, OH. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Bowling Green, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.