Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Newport Beach, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $5,160 in Newport Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $50,700 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
248

Cost of Living Index in Newport Beach, CA
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Newport Beach, CA Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Newport Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$5,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Newport Beach, CA

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 Newport Beach, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,160 in Newport Beach, CA, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Newport Beach, CA $5,160

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,319 in Newport Beach, CA, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Newport Beach, CA $7,319

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $9,477 in Newport Beach, CA, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Newport Beach, CA $9,477

Chiang Mai is about 82% cheaper than Newport Beach, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Newport Beach, CA is 279% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$24.79 $24.79

-90.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$98.1 $98.1

-80.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$14.86 $14.86

-62.65%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.72 $5.72

-70.80%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$3.02 $3.02

-78.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$2.41 $2.41

-87.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$7.31 $7.31

-67.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$9.54 $9.54

-61.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.22 $1.22

59.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$5.67 $5.67

-74.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$4.22 $4.22

-68.48%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$5.12 $5.12

-55.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.22 $12.22

34.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$8.71 $8.71

-68.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.03 $14.03

-33.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.60 $4.60

-48.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.70 $1.70

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.94 $3.94

-59.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$5.74 $5.74

-73.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$3.62 $3.62

-64.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$3.07 $3.07

-64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$2.11 $2.11

-66.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$2.29 $2.29

-78.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.62 $11.62

-64.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$15.05 $15.05

16.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.74 $1.74

-7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.10 $3.10

-10.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$4.60 $4.60

-74.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.82 $1.82

-70.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$36.58 $36.58

-93.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.53 $1.53

-5.23%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$27.8K $27.8K

-24.24%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$25.9K $25.9K

4.05%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$217 $217

-71.40%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$80.8 $80.8

-84.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$68.8 $68.8

-70.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$117 $117

-68.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$28.41 $28.41

-86.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$20.06 $20.06

-67.65%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,746 $1,746

-57.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$36.6K $36.6K

-59.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$62.3 $62.3

-14.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$41.38 $41.38

-40.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$79.4 $79.4

15.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$104 $104

-30.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$4,338 $4,338

-88.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$3,700 $3,700

-91.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$7,186 $7,186

-86.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$6,170 $6,170

-89.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$16.2K $16.2K

-85.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$16.0K $16.0K

-90.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$6,237 $6,237

-90.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.45

-13.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Newport Beach, CA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Newport Beach, CA

$3.7K 71.7% 1098% $3.4K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Newport Beach, CA

$404 7.8% 72.5% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Newport Beach, CA

$129 2.5% 19% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Newport Beach, CA

$367 7.1% 289% $273

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Newport Beach, CA

$389 7.5% 401% $311

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Newport Beach, CA

$14 * 0.3% 77.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Newport Beach, CA

$157 3.1% 213% $107

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 $4,338 in Newport Beach, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Newport Beach, CA are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $98 in Newport Beach, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $404 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Newport Beach, CA

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

15 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

85,186

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Newport Beach, CA 13,000 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Newport Beach, CA

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 Newport Beach, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newport Beach, CA costs about 452% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $7,740 in Newport Beach, CA. 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 $4,338 in Newport Beach, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $98 in Newport Beach, CA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Newport Beach, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $5,160 in Newport Beach, CA. 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Newport Beach, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.