Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Chicago, IL is 139.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 253.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 149.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 236.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.59 $20.59

$1.97 ฿62.0

945.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$18.68 ฿587

430.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$7.92 ฿249

50.25%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$2.02 ฿63.7

188.61%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$0.84 ฿26.45

259.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.35 ฿11.07

608.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 $6.80

$2.22 ฿69.9

206.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$3.59 ฿113

126.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.67 ฿52.4

-35.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.62 ฿51.1

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$1.20 ฿37.83

365.00%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$1.93 ฿60.8

136.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$16.00 ฿503

-11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$3.16 ฿99.2

382.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 $18.90

$10.93 ฿344

72.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$2.67 ฿83.8

97.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.18 ฿36.99

44.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.64 ฿51.5

159.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.59 ฿49.83

188.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.32 ฿41.64

84.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.19 ฿37.49

137.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.71 ฿22.20

253.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$0.56 ฿17.75

383.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.02 $15.02

$4.64 ฿146

223.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.28 $16.28

$18.96 ฿596

-14.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.77 ฿55.7

35.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.20 ฿101

11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.90 ฿28.32

178.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.1 $75.1

$19.24 ฿605

290.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.36 ฿42.78

134.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.35 ฿42.37

5.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.48 $25.48

$8.15 ฿256

212.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.22 ฿38.43

-9.84%

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

$31.6K $31.6K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

47.69%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

20.22%

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

$186 $186

$70.3 ฿2,210

163.97%

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

$61.5 $61.5

$13.91 ฿437

342.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.5 $66.5

$18.00 ฿566

269.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$41.78 ฿1,314

86.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.93 $12.93

$6.80 ฿214

90.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$5.72 ฿180

159.79%

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

$2,094 $2,094

$308 ฿9,693

579.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.3K $39.3K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

165.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 $65.2

$55.9 ฿1,756

16.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$26.71 ฿840

89.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 $96.6

$84.5 ฿2,658

14.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$70.8 ฿2,227

102.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 $2,309

$431 ฿13.5K

436.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 $1,597

$237 ฿7,439

574.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,723 $4,723

$811 ฿25.5K

482.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,806 $2,806

$501 ฿15.7K

460.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,787 $3,787

$2,202 ฿69.2K

71.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,600 ฿50.3K

55.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,384 $5,384

$684 ฿21.5K

686.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

32.00%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: January 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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