Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Burlington, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,818 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Burlington, IA

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 Burlington, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $1,818 in Burlington, IA.

Chiang Mai $935
Burlington, IA $1,818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $2,753 in Burlington, IA.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Burlington, IA $2,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $3,688 in Burlington, IA.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Burlington, IA $3,688

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 49% less than in Burlington, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Burlington, IA is 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$11.52 $11.52

-81.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$59.5 $59.5

-68.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$9.13 $9.13

-38.66%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$4.77 $4.77

-65.20%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.98 $1.98

-67.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$1.95 $1.95

-84.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$3.51 $3.51

-33.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.54 $4.54

-19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$0.86 $0.86

134.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$2.87 $2.87

-50.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$4.47 $4.47

-68.90%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$3.03 $3.03

-21.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$11.60 $11.60

42.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$11.93 $11.93

-77.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$14.30 $14.30

-36.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$4.19 $4.19

-42.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.91 $1.91

-45.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$4.70 $4.70

-64.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$4.65 $4.65

-66.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$2.77 $2.77

-55.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$2.65 $2.65

-58.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.46 $1.46

-47.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$2.12 $2.12

-75.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$8.08 $8.08

-49.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$15.91 $15.91

12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$2.00 $2.00

-19.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.36 $2.36

19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$1.98 $1.98

-53.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$61.0 $61.0

-13.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$4.85 $4.85

-75.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.05 $1.05

-83.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$22.11 $22.11

-91.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.88 $0.88

67.05%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$23.0K $23.0K

-8.67%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$25.1K $25.1K

5.54%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$184 $184

-65.94%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$46.38 $46.38

-74.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$58.7 $58.7

-65.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$39.81 $39.81

-4.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$11.83 $11.83

-44.97%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$1,186 $1,186

-38.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$15.4K $15.4K

7.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$44.45 $44.45

20.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$30.47 $30.47

-18.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$88.5 $88.5

2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$37.77 $37.77

90.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$735 $735

-34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$707 $707

-56.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$1,208 $1,208

-12.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$1,285 $1,285

-48.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,057 $1,057

128.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,034 $1,034

55.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$4,380 $4,380

-86.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.54

-14.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Burlington, IA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Burlington, IA

$707 38.9% 128% $397

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Burlington, IA

$371 20.4% 56.6% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Burlington, IA

$91 5% 16.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Burlington, IA

$289 15.9% 206% $194

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Burlington, IA

$219 12.1% 186% $143

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Burlington, IA

$79 4.4% 34.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Burlington, IA

$63 3.5% 24.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $735 in Burlington, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $60 in Burlington, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $371 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

14:05 2:05 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

44,743

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Burlington, IA 13,310 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Burlington, IA

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 Burlington, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Burlington, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 86% 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $735 in Burlington, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $1,186 in Burlington, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Burlington, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Burlington, IA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Burlington, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.