Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,666 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Denver
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Denver Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,666

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,666 per month in Denver vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Denver $2,666
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,649 per month in Denver vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Denver $3,649
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,631 per month in Denver vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Denver $4,631
Chiang Mai $1,914

Denver costs about 184% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Denver sits 98% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 A$24.37

$2.26 ฿75.4

649.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.2 A$137

$19.18 ฿641

396.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 A$15.43

$5.59 ฿187

91.77%

Cappuccino

$4.40 A$6.33

$1.72 ฿57.6

155.81%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$0.64 ฿21.54

337.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.68

$0.33 ฿11.18

675.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.27

$2.36 ฿78.7

231.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 A$10.74

$3.90 ฿130

91.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.92

$2.05 ฿68.6

-34.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.31

$1.40 ฿46.70

113.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.65

$1.28 ฿42.89

97.66%

Eggs

$5.49 A$7.89

$2.25 ฿75.3

144.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 A$14.02

$16.94 ฿566

-42.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 A$15.16

$2.74 ฿91.6

284.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.60 A$18.12

$9.36 ฿313

34.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 A$5.48

$2.40 ฿80.3

58.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.49

$1.01 ฿33.92

208.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.37

$1.61 ฿53.9

88.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 A$7.31

$1.52 ฿50.7

234.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.28 ฿42.90

121.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$1.11 ฿37.22

96.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.45

$0.72 ฿24.09

233.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 A$2.07

$0.52 ฿17.54

176.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.07 A$62.0

$4.33 ฿145

894.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.42 A$20.76

$17.73 ฿593

-18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.92 A$7.08

$1.63 ฿54.4

201.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 A$7.86

$2.85 ฿95.3

91.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 A$3.82

$0.85 ฿28.31

211.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 A$128

$53.9 ฿1,801

65.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.73

$1.17 ฿39.18

240.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.57 ฿19.00

185.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.09 A$54.8

$2.37 ฿79.2

1507.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.45 ฿48.32

-0.69%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

41.60%

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

$31.1K A$44.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

17.33%

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

$210 A$302

$62.3 ฿2,083

236.18%

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

$27.33 A$39.33

$12.27 ฿410

122.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.3

$19.97 ฿668

193.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 A$76.7

$37.91 ฿1,267

40.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.34 A$26.39

$3.76 ฿126

387.77%

Cinema Ticket

$16.27 A$23.41

$6.71 ฿224

142.47%

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

$2,199 A$3,165

$797 ฿26.6K

175.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K A$32.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

52.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 A$98.2

$53.3 ฿1,780

28.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.94 A$70.4

$25.05 ฿837

95.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$91.6 ฿3,062

13.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$181

$73.5 ฿2,455

71.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 A$1,846

$464 ฿15.5K

176.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 A$1,938

$305 ฿10.2K

341.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$915 ฿30.6K

110.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 A$2,345

$552 ฿18.5K

195.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,041 A$8,692

$1,912 ฿63.9K

215.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,705 A$6,770

$1,438 ฿48.1K

227.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.57

4.85%

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

Last update for Denver: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Denver

$1.3K 50.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 77.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Denver

$375 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 36.5% $137

Eating Out

Denver

$296 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 73.3% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver

$295 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 68% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Denver

$156 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 30% $47

Getting Around

Denver

$112 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 45.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Denver

$86 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 40.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,283 in Denver versus $464 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 $95.0 in Denver versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Denver

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

22:43 10:43 PM

4 h behind Denver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Denver Chiang Mai 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Denver
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

Denver vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Denver costs about 184% 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 $4,000 per month in Denver and $1,408 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 $2,199 per month in Denver and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Denver, 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 $938, than in Denver at $2,666. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Denver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,666 in Denver. 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, Denver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.