Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Conway, SC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,949 in Conway, SC, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Conway, SC
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Conway, SC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Conway, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$1,949

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,949 per month in Conway, SC vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Conway, SC $1,949
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,208 per month in Conway, SC vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Conway, SC $3,208
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,467 per month in Conway, SC vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Conway, SC $4,467
Chiang Mai $1,979

Conway, SC costs about 108% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Conway, SC sits 43% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.19 $17.19

$2.24 ฿75.6

667.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 $57.3

$19.00 ฿641

201.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.77 $7.77

$5.55 ฿187

40.00%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$1.67 ฿56.5

235.93%

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

$1.49 $1.49

$0.64 ฿21.53

132.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.31 ฿10.30

390.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.36 ฿79.5

155.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.66 ฿124

86.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.95 ฿65.7

-58.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.44 ฿48.45

54.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.33 ฿45.01

55.64%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$2.28 ฿77.0

105.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$16.45 ฿555

-44.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.78 ฿93.8

115.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 $16.70

$9.31 ฿314

79.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.35 ฿79.4

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.97 ฿32.78

16.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.60 ฿53.9

170.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.50 ฿50.6

44.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.28 ฿43.10

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.10 ฿37.17

73.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.71 ฿23.81

208.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.49 ฿16.36

340.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.61 $8.61

$4.14 ฿140

107.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 $10.96

$17.52 ฿591

-37.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.61 ฿54.5

33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.78 ฿93.9

-0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.87 ฿29.29

125.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 $65.6

$54.1 ฿1,825

21.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.16 ฿39.03

162.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.53 ฿17.79

249.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.25 $18.25

$2.42 ฿81.7

654.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.45 ฿48.87

-44.14%

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

$31.8K $31.8K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

50.94%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-3.51%

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

$184 $184

$62.2 ฿2,097

195.42%

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

$46.00 $46.00

$12.17 ฿410

277.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$20.12 ฿679

238.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.37 $42.37

$37.31 ฿1,259

13.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 $9.81

$6.49 ฿219

51.16%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$736 ฿24.8K

102.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

66.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 $54.8

$53.4 ฿1,800

2.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 $39.20

$24.64 ฿831

59.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 $92.8

$91.5 ฿3,086

1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$71.9 ฿2,426

100.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 $995

$482 ฿16.3K

106.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 $773

$309 ฿10.4K

150.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$1,006 ฿33.9K

109.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,948 $1,948

$633 ฿21.4K

207.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,442 $2,442

$2,363 ฿79.7K

3.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$1,589 ฿53.6K

56.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,586 $4,586

$590 ฿19.9K

677.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

5.57

18.67%

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

Last update for Conway, SC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Conway, SC

$773 39.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60% $464

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Conway, SC

$298 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.3% $203

Groceries & Markets

Conway, SC

$297 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.1% $63

Eating Out

Conway, SC

$284 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.7% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Conway, SC

$149 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 27.1% $40

Getting Around

Conway, SC

$86 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 28.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Conway, SC

$62 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Conway, SC 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 Conway, SC are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Conway, SC versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Conway, SC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

19:06 7:06 PM

11 h ahead of Conway, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,334

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Conway, SC Chiang Mai 14,160 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Conway, SC
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

Conway, SC vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Conway, SC costs about 108% 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 $2,923 per month in Conway, SC 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 $995 in Conway, SC.

Kindergarten costs $1,491 per month in Conway, SC 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 27% more in Conway, SC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,949 in Conway, SC 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, Conway, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.