Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cedar City, UT

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,279 in Cedar City, UT, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Cedar City, UT
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Cedar City, UT Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cedar City, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cedar City, UT

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 Cedar City, UT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $2,279 in Cedar City, UT.

Chiang Mai $936
Cedar City, UT $2,279

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $3,568 in Cedar City, UT.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cedar City, UT $3,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $4,858 in Cedar City, UT.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cedar City, UT $4,858

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 59% less than in Cedar City, UT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Cedar City, UT is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$23.83 $23.83

-90.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$80.6 $80.6

-76.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$14.84 $14.84

-62.60%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$6.41 $6.41

-73.95%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$4.73 $4.73

-86.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$3.05 $3.05

-89.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.03 $6.03

-60.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.95 $10.95

-66.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.08 $1.08

80.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.55 $3.55

-59.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$4.29 $4.29

-69.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.71 $3.71

-38.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$18.44 $18.44

-10.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$15.63 $15.63

-82.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.08 $18.08

-48.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$8.01 $8.01

-70.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.34 $2.34

-58.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.86 $7.86

-79.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.75 $3.75

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.69 $1.69

-24.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.38 $2.38

-53.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.25 $2.25

-68.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$2.25 $2.25

-78.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$12.78 $12.78

-67.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$21.69 $21.69

-19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.87 $1.87

-13.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.69 $4.69

-40.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$5.11 $5.11

-82.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$40.21 $40.21

34.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.89 $0.89

62.92%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$36.9K $36.9K

-42.95%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.0K $25.0K

7.94%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$173 $173

-64.00%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$32.82 $32.82

-62.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$57.3 $57.3

-64.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$55.9 $55.9

-33.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.54 $11.54

-43.76%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$57.8 $57.8

-7.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$50.7 $50.7

-51.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$99.9 $99.9

-8.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$151 $151

-52.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,061 $1,061

-54.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$842 $842

-63.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,898 $1,898

-47.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,620 $1,620

-60.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,693 $2,693

-12.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,653 $2,653

-40.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,495 $3,495

-83.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.19

-22.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cedar City, UT: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cedar City, UT

$842 36.9% 172% $533

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cedar City, UT

$478 21% 104% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cedar City, UT

$162 7.1% 48.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cedar City, UT

$263 11.5% 178% $168

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cedar City, UT

$395 17.3% 409% $318

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cedar City, UT

$61 * 2.7% 1.1% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cedar City, UT

$79 3.5% 57.1% $29

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 $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,061 in Cedar City, UT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cedar City, UT pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $81 in Cedar City, UT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $478 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Cedar City, UT

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

17:13 5:13 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

28,857

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Cedar City, UT 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cedar City, UT

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 Cedar City, UT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% 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 $1,061 in Cedar City, UT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $81 in Cedar City, UT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cedar City, UT runs roughly 26% 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.

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

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