Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cartersville, GA

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,794 in Cartersville, GA, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Cartersville, GA
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Cartersville, GA Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cartersville, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cartersville, GA

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 Cartersville, GA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,794 in Cartersville, GA.

Chiang Mai $938
Cartersville, GA $2,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $4,041 in Cartersville, GA.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Cartersville, GA $4,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $5,287 in Cartersville, GA.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Cartersville, GA $5,287

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 66% less than in Cartersville, GA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 30% below, Cartersville, GA is 107% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$16.97 $16.97

-86.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$71.2 $71.2

-73.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.04 $9.04

-38.16%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$5.64 $5.64

-69.50%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.39 $2.39

-73.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$2.18 $2.18

-84.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$4.78 $4.78

-50.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$6.17 $6.17

-36.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.07 $1.07

91.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.11 $3.11

-54.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$4.54 $4.54

-71.81%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.94 $2.94

-23.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.60 $9.60

76.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$11.18 $11.18

-75.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$16.11 $16.11

-41.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$6.36 $6.36

-62.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.37 $1.37

-26.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$8.07 $8.07

-80.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$5.49 $5.49

-72.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$4.14 $4.14

-69.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$4.51 $4.51

-75.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.05 $2.05

-64.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.98 $1.98

-73.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$8.76 $8.76

-50.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$15.04 $15.04

17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.31 $2.31

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.63 $3.63

-21.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$5.02 $5.02

-83.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$39.76 $39.76

35.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.94 $2.94

-60.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.57 $1.57

-63.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$29.87 $29.87

-92.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.95 $0.95

52.63%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$35.2K $35.2K

-41.89%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$22.8K $22.8K

16.25%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$255 $255

-75.54%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$76.8 $76.8

-84.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$69.7 $69.7

-71.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$14.85 $14.85

-54.81%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,356 $1,356

-41.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$17.9K $17.9K

-17.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$32.15 $32.15

65.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$35.69 $35.69

-29.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$67.3 $67.3

36.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$81.0 $81.0

-9.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$2,127 $2,127

-78.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,503 $1,503

-79.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$3,006 $3,006

-69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$2,514 $2,514

-78.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.5

-14.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cartersville, GA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Cartersville, GA

$1.5K 53.8% 394% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Cartersville, GA

$407 14.6% 71% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Cartersville, GA

$97 3.5% 11.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Cartersville, GA

$401 14.4% 324% $307

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Cartersville, GA

$285 10.2% 261% $206

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Cartersville, GA

$71 2.5% 15.2% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cartersville, GA

$30 * 1.1% 42.2% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $2,127 in Cartersville, GA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $71.0 in Cartersville, GA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $407 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Cartersville, GA

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

12:18 12:18 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

20,319

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cartersville, GA 14,110 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cartersville, GA

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 Cartersville, GA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Cartersville, GA differ by about 198% in total monthly costs ($938 vs $2,794 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,408 in Chiang Mai and $4,191 in Cartersville, GA 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $2,127 in Cartersville, GA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 36% less than in Cartersville, GA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $1,356 in Cartersville, GA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,794 in Cartersville, GA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Cartersville, GA. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Cartersville, GA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 198% less than in Cartersville, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.