Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chico, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,475 in Chico, CA, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Chico, CA
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Chico, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chico, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,475

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chico, CA and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,475 per month in Chico, CA vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chico, CA $2,475
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,704 per month in Chico, CA vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chico, CA $3,704
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,934 per month in Chico, CA vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chico, CA $4,934
Chiang Mai $1,979

Chico, CA costs about 164% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chico, CA sits 82% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$2.24 ฿75.6

1024.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 $50.1

$19.00 ฿641

163.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 $12.23

$5.55 ฿187

120.36%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.67 ฿56.5

237.13%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$0.64 ฿21.55

314.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.31 ฿10.31

622.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$2.36 ฿79.6

211.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$3.66 ฿124

118.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.95 ฿65.8

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.44 ฿48.48

108.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.33 ฿45.04

172.93%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$2.28 ฿77.1

109.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 $11.04

$16.45 ฿555

-32.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$2.78 ฿93.9

341.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.70 $22.70

$9.31 ฿314

143.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.35 ฿79.4

130.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.97 ฿32.80

137.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.60 ฿53.9

136.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.50 ฿50.6

269.33%

Potato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.28 ฿43.12

303.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.10 ฿37.19

175.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.71 ฿23.82

254.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.49 ฿16.37

424.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.64 $11.64

$4.14 ฿140

181.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$17.52 ฿591

-14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.61 ฿54.5

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.78 ฿94.0

32.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.87 ฿29.31

122.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.62 $45.62

$54.1 ฿1,826

-15.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.16 ฿39.06

173.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.53 ฿17.80

349.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.22 $39.22

$2.42 ฿81.8

1520.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.45 ฿48.90

-2.76%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

31.57%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-2.75%

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

$186 $186

$62.2 ฿2,098

198.62%

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

$48.18 $48.18

$12.17 ฿411

295.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$20.12 ฿679

228.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.4 $61.4

$37.31 ฿1,259

64.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.83 $12.83

$6.49 ฿219

97.69%

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

$1,844 $1,844

$736 ฿24.8K

150.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K $36.9K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

149.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 $51.6

$53.4 ฿1,801

-3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 $32.09

$24.64 ฿831

30.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 $70.2

$91.5 ฿3,087

-23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$71.9 ฿2,428

41.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 $1,193

$482 ฿16.3K

147.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 $1,096

$309 ฿10.4K

254.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 $2,271

$1,006 ฿33.9K

125.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 $1,998

$633 ฿21.4K

215.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,478 $3,478

$2,363 ฿79.8K

47.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,846 $2,846

$1,589 ฿53.6K

79.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,790 $3,790

$590 ฿19.9K

542.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.28

5.57

12.75%

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

Last update for Chico, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chico, CA

$1.1K 44.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.8% $787

Groceries & Markets

Chico, CA

$430 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 45.5% $196

Eating Out

Chico, CA

$378 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 79.5% $300

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chico, CA

$300 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.5% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Chico, CA

$115 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.4% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chico, CA

$87 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 42.3% $37

Getting Around

Chico, CA

$68 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 10.4% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,193 in Chico, CA versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chico, CA are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Chico, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chico, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

10:16 10:16 AM

15 h ahead of Chico, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,316

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chico, CA Chiang Mai 12,250 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chico, CA
Chiang Mai

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

Chico, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chico, CA costs about 164% 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 $3,712 per month in Chico, CA and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,193 in Chico, CA.

Kindergarten costs $1,844 per month in Chico, CA and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Chico, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,475 in Chico, CA and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.

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