Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pago Pago

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,479 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
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Pago Pago Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,479

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Pago Pago

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,479 in Pago Pago, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Pago Pago $1,479

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,291 in Pago Pago, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Pago Pago $2,291

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,102 in Pago Pago, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Pago Pago $3,102

Chiang Mai is about 37% cheaper than Pago Pago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Pago Pago is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$36.28 $36.28

-48.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$10.05 $10.05

-44.28%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.98 $0.98

-69.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.97 $3.97

-7.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$2.62 $2.62

-22.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$2.92 $2.92

-51.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$4.41 $4.41

-68.48%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$4.61 $4.61

-48.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$10.08 $10.08

63.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$10.08 $10.08

-73.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$11.57 $11.57

-22.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$6.03 $6.03

-60.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.03 $1.03

0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.06 $3.06

-45.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$3.97 $3.97

-60.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$4.09 $4.09

-69.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$3.95 $3.95

-72.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$1.99 $1.99

-61.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$2.03 $2.03

-74.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$11.37 $11.37

-63.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$14.86 $14.86

20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$0.99 $0.99

63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.93 $2.93

-3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$2.02 $2.02

-53.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$126 $126

-58.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$4.95 $4.95

-76.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$1.95 $1.95

-91.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$29.48 $29.48

-93.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.36 $1.36

8.09%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$30.2K $30.2K

-30.37%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$19.7K $19.7K

34.91%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$411 $411

-84.77%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$29.94 $29.94

-61.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$73.9 $73.9

-72.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$50.9 $50.9

-25.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$10.12 $10.12

-63.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$8.75 $8.75

-25.60%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$994 $994

-26.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$10.1K $10.1K

64.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$69.9 $69.9

-23.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$50.2 $50.2

-50.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$79.9 $79.9

13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$99.1 $99.1

-27.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$326 $326

47.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$202 $202

53.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$901 $901

17.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$706 $706

-6.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$17.5K $17.5K

-86.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$10.7K $10.7K

-84.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,194 $1,194

-50.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pago Pago: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Pago Pago

$202 13.7% 34.7% $108

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Pago Pago

$368 24.9% 55.6% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Pago Pago

$135 9.1% 24.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pago Pago

$515 34.8% 445% $420

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.8% 45.1% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Pago Pago

$149 10.1% 154% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Pago Pago

$68 4.6% 34.5% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $326 in Pago Pago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Pago Pago are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $36 in Pago Pago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $368 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

11:00 11:00 AM

18 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Pago Pago 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pago Pago

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 Pago Pago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pago Pago costs about 58% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $2,218 in Pago Pago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pago Pago, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $326 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $994 in Pago Pago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Pago Pago, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,479 in Pago Pago. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,479 in Pago Pago. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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