Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,307 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, TN
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Columbia, TN Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,307

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,307 per month in Columbia, TN vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Columbia, TN $2,307
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,483 per month in Columbia, TN vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Columbia, TN $3,483
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,659 per month in Columbia, TN vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Columbia, TN $4,659
Chiang Mai $1,999

Columbia, TN costs about 147% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Columbia, TN sits 71% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 $12.03

$2.13 ฿71.6

464.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$18.62 ฿624

227.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 $9.95

$5.60 ฿188

77.68%

Cappuccino

$3.94 $3.94

$1.66 ฿55.8

137.35%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$0.65 ฿21.69

232.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$0.30 ฿10.22

440.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 $6.32

$2.32 ฿77.9

172.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 $7.45

$3.67 ฿123

103.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.02 ฿67.6

-52.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.41 ฿47.21

105.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.39 ฿46.67

184.17%

Eggs

$2.62 $2.62

$2.37 ฿79.4

10.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$16.52 ฿554

-21.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$2.67 ฿89.5

140.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$9.02 ฿302

48.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.40 ฿80.4

130.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.04 ฿34.91

16.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$1.66 ฿55.6

250.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.56 ฿52.3

159.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.24 ฿41.50

153.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.09 ฿36.44

277.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.76 ฿25.54

219.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.51 ฿17.24

327.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.11 $9.11

$4.12 ฿138

121.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$17.93 ฿601

-27.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.62 ฿54.4

8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.82 ฿94.6

-25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.18 ฿39.45

67.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 $1.15

$0.17 ฿5.75

576.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 $19.78

$1.81 ฿60.8

992.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.47 ฿49.38

-48.98%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.0K ฿704.5K

30.45%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.5K ฿889.1K

3.90%

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

$152 $152

$62.6 ฿2,098

143.45%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$11.60 ฿389

421.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 $75.9

$20.30 ฿681

273.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.50 $35.50

$37.88 ฿1,270

-6.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 $12.57

$6.51 ฿218

93.09%

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

$1,693 $1,693

$727 ฿24.4K

132.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K $26.4K

$16.6K ฿555.7K

59.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.71 $39.71

$53.5 ฿1,795

-25.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.13 $32.13

$24.80 ฿832

29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 $82.5

$90.4 ฿3,031

-8.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 $90.2

$72.0 ฿2,413

25.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$481 ฿16.1K

199.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$310 ฿10.4K

305.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,544 $2,544

$1,058 ฿35.5K

140.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$659 ฿22.1K

259.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

5.57

18.49%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, TN

$1.3K 54.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 75.4% $948

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$347 15%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 31.8% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$289 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.3% $194

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$235 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 67.4% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$61 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 16.1% $9.8

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$7.7 * 0.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 658% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,440 in Columbia, TN versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Columbia, TN versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

00:27 12:27 AM

13 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, TN Chiang Mai 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, TN
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

Columbia, TN vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Columbia, TN costs about 147% 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 $3,460 per month in Columbia, TN 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 $481 there versus $1,440 in Columbia, TN.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Columbia, TN and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Columbia, TN, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,307 in Columbia, TN and $935 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.