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 131.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 258.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 157.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 245% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.10 $20.10

$2.03 ฿64.0

890.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$18.59 ฿586

447.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.02 $12.02

$7.48 ฿236

60.70%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$2.00 ฿63.0

181.00%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$0.85 ฿26.72

254.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.35 ฿11.09

571.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$2.21 ฿69.8

215.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 $8.45

$3.76 ฿118

124.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.72 ฿54.2

-36.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.63 ฿51.5

152.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$1.16 ฿36.54

380.17%

Eggs

$4.51 $4.51

$1.98 ฿62.4

127.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$15.93 ฿502

-9.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.02 $15.02

$3.17 ฿99.9

373.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.98 $18.98

$10.90 ฿344

74.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.65 ฿83.4

96.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.22 ฿38.57

45.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.70 ฿53.5

155.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.59 ฿50.2

184.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.32 ฿41.76

93.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.17 ฿36.86

131.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.68 ฿21.38

266.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.56 ฿17.58

369.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.12 $15.12

$4.51 ฿142

235.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 $14.91

$19.07 ฿602

-21.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.77 ฿55.8

39.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.18 ฿100

15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.96 ฿30.37

167.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 $74.3

$18.90 ฿596

293.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.36 ฿42.83

142.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.35 ฿42.65

1.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.96 $24.96

$8.03 ฿253

210.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.24 ฿39.20

-14.52%

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

$31.4K $31.4K

$21.2K ฿667.5K

48.47%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$21.8K ฿686.1K

20.62%

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

$187 $187

$71.2 ฿2,247

161.82%

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

$63.0 $63.0

$14.09 ฿444

346.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 $65.8

$17.47 ฿551

276.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.2 $75.2

$42.07 ฿1,327

78.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.95 $12.95

$6.88 ฿217

88.23%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 $15.13

$5.94 ฿187

154.71%

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

$2,067 $2,067

$307 ฿9,694

572.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.8K $38.8K

$14.8K ฿466.6K

162.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 $64.0

$55.7 ฿1,756

14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$26.79 ฿845

89.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 $97.3

$83.2 ฿2,625

16.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$70.1 ฿2,211

104.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,338 $2,338

$427 ฿13.5K

447.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 $1,614

$237 ฿7,478

580.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,764 $4,764

$802 ฿25.3K

494.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,762 $2,762

$503 ฿15.9K

448.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,766 $3,766

$2,061 ฿65.0K

82.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,614 $2,614

$1,533 ฿48.3K

70.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,006 $5,006

$654 ฿20.6K

665.83%

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: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 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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