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 134.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 251.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chicago, IL is 145.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 238.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.53 $20.53

$2.01 ฿64.4

921.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$18.23 ฿583

457.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$7.65 ฿245

57.25%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$1.92 ฿61.4

192.71%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$0.84 ฿26.91

265.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.36 ฿11.39

572.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$2.19 ฿70.0

218.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.79 ฿121

113.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.64 ฿52.4

-34.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.62 ฿51.8

143.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$1.15 ฿36.89

380.00%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$1.94 ฿62.0

134.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 $14.58

$15.94 ฿510

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$3.10 ฿99.2

380.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$11.07 ฿354

70.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.71 ฿86.6

97.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.18 ฿37.70

49.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.71 ฿54.5

156.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.61 ฿51.3

171.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.39 ฿44.54

83.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.15 ฿36.72

141.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.71 ฿22.77

246.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.55 ฿17.60

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.74 $14.74

$4.57 ฿146

222.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$18.87 ฿604

-19.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.82 ฿58.2

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.21 ฿103

14.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.88 ฿28.17

186.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.5 $74.5

$18.89 ฿604

294.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.41 ฿45.18

133.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.30 ฿41.60

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.86 $24.86

$8.20 ฿262

203.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.23 ฿39.19

-11.38%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$21.2K ฿677.2K

47.98%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$22.3K ฿713.5K

20.02%

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

$187 $187

$69.9 ฿2,234

167.81%

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

$62.4 $62.4

$14.07 ฿450

343.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$17.70 ฿566

279.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.2 $75.2

$41.41 ฿1,324

81.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.17 $13.17

$6.69 ฿214

96.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$5.74 ฿184

164.98%

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

$2,039 $2,039

$299 ฿9,569

581.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.3K $39.3K

$15.0K ฿480.0K

162.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 $64.0

$54.8 ฿1,753

16.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$26.35 ฿843

91.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 $95.4

$84.7 ฿2,707

12.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$69.7 ฿2,230

105.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,355 $2,355

$427 ฿13.7K

451.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$241 ฿7,699

569.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,728 $4,728

$811 ฿25.9K

483.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,754 $2,754

$498 ฿15.9K

452.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,803 $3,803

$2,022 ฿64.7K

88.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,580 $2,580

$1,524 ฿48.7K

69.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,738 $4,738

$639 ฿20.4K

641.29%

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

Chicago, IL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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