Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,100 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,100

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in College Station, TX 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 College Station, TX and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,100 per month in College Station, TX vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

College Station, TX $2,100
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,153 per month in College Station, TX vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

College Station, TX $3,153
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,207 per month in College Station, TX vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

College Station, TX $4,207
Chiang Mai $1,903

College Station, TX costs about 127% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

College Station, TX sits 55% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$2.29 ฿76.5

554.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$19.64 ฿656

296.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$5.61 ฿188

115.33%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$1.66 ฿55.6

224.70%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$0.70 ฿23.40

322.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.31 ฿10.24

480.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.41 ฿80.4

108.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 $7.36

$3.71 ฿124

98.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.95 ฿65.3

-61.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.41 ฿47.03

123.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.31 ฿43.62

189.31%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.18 ฿72.9

33.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$16.65 ฿556

-29.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.76 ฿92.2

255.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$9.11 ฿304

42.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$2.39 ฿80.0

164.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.03 ฿34.26

57.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$1.63 ฿54.4

294.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.50 ฿50.0

229.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.29 ฿43.13

215.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.11 ฿37.03

168.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.72 ฿24.08

144.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.53 ฿17.59

239.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$4.31 ฿144

129.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 $13.84

$17.95 ฿600

-22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.58 ฿52.9

8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.84 ฿95.0

35.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.86 ฿28.86

18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.29 $20.29

$53.3 ฿1,780

-61.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 $10.08

$1.21 ฿40.29

733.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.57 ฿18.99

233.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 $59.1

$2.35 ฿78.6

2416.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.44 ฿47.96

-36.11%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

32.99%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-2.07%

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

$180 $180

$62.3 ฿2,083

189.35%

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

$40.02 $40.02

$12.11 ฿405

230.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 $55.4

$19.94 ฿666

177.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.85 $24.85

$37.07 ฿1,239

-32.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 $17.24

$3.78 ฿126

356.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 $11.16

$6.50 ฿217

71.69%

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

$761 $761

$793 ฿26.5K

-3.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K $18.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

21.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$53.7 ฿1,796

10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.19 $38.19

$24.62 ฿823

55.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$90.9 ฿3,036

-8.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$71.1 ฿2,378

72.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 $1,131

$455 ฿15.2K

148.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$298 ฿9,954

217.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$908 ฿30.4K

114.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$554 ฿18.5K

186.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$1,931 ฿64.5K

13.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 $1,996

$1,445 ฿48.3K

38.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,396 $4,396

$591 ฿19.7K

644.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for College Station, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Station, TX

$945 45%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 68.5% $647

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$372 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 36.7% $136

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$280 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 71.9% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$276 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 65.8% $181

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$136 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 20.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$47 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.1% $2.9

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$44 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 38.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in College Station, TX versus $455 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 run about 644% higher in College Station, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in College Station, TX versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

12 h ahead of College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

College Station, TX Chiang Mai 14,280 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

College Station, TX
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

College Station, TX vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

College Station, TX costs about 127% 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 $3,150 per month in College Station, TX and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $761 per month in College Station, TX and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in College Station, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in College Station, TX at $2,100. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Station, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,100 in College Station, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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