Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eliot, ME and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,785 in Eliot, ME, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Eliot, ME
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Eliot, ME Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Eliot, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,785

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,785 per month in Eliot, ME vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eliot, ME $2,785
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,039 per month in Eliot, ME vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eliot, ME $4,039
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,292 per month in Eliot, ME vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eliot, ME $5,292
Chiang Mai $1,979

Eliot, ME costs about 198% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Eliot, ME sits 105% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 $18.34

$2.24 ฿75.7

718.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 $50.3

$19.00 ฿642

164.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$5.55 ฿188

62.88%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$1.67 ฿56.6

204.79%

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

$1.88 $1.88

$0.64 ฿21.56

193.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.31 ฿10.32

374.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.09 $8.09

$2.36 ฿79.6

242.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.18 $9.18

$3.66 ฿124

150.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.95 ฿65.8

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.44 ฿48.51

204.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$1.33 ฿45.07

416.54%

Eggs

$6.11 $6.11

$2.28 ฿77.1

167.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.88 $15.88

$16.45 ฿556

-3.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$2.78 ฿94.0

415.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.43 $19.43

$9.31 ฿314

108.70%

Apples (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$2.35 ฿79.5

221.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.97 ฿32.82

108.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$1.60 ฿53.9

239.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.75 $7.75

$1.50 ฿50.7

416.67%

Potato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.28 ฿43.15

244.53%

Onion (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.10 ฿37.22

273.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.71 ฿23.84

309.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$0.49 ฿16.38

483.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.93 $12.93

$4.14 ฿140

212.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.57 $15.57

$17.52 ฿592

-11.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.61 ฿54.5

89.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.78 ฿94.0

59.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.87 ฿29.33

119.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 $55.0

$54.1 ฿1,827

1.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.16 ฿39.08

119.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.53 ฿17.82

226.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.59 $27.59

$2.42 ฿81.8

1040.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.45 ฿48.93

-24.14%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

40.30%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-3.81%

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

$248 $248

$62.2 ฿2,100

298.83%

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

$44.72 $44.72

$12.17 ฿411

267.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 $75.9

$20.12 ฿680

277.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.38 $40.38

$37.31 ฿1,260

8.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 $16.24

$6.49 ฿219

150.23%

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

$2,663 $2,663

$736 ฿24.9K

261.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K $35.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

142.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.4 $74.4

$53.4 ฿1,802

39.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 $52.1

$24.64 ฿832

111.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$91.5 ฿3,089

22.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$71.9 ฿2,429

112.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$482 ฿16.3K

225.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 $1,268

$309 ฿10.4K

310.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,006 ฿34.0K

147.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,131 $2,131

$633 ฿21.4K

236.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,464 $2,464

$2,363 ฿79.8K

4.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,052 $2,052

$1,589 ฿53.7K

29.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

5.57

19.57%

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

Last update for Eliot, ME: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Eliot, ME

$1.3K 45.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 75.6% $959

Groceries & Markets

Eliot, ME

$518 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 54.7% $283

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eliot, ME

$369 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.4% $274

Eating Out

Eliot, ME

$307 11%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.7% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Eliot, ME

$176 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38.3% $68

Getting Around

Eliot, ME

$74 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Eliot, ME

$73 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Eliot, ME 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Eliot, ME versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $518 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Eliot, ME

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

11 h ahead of Eliot, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,700

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Eliot, ME Chiang Mai 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Eliot, ME
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

Eliot, ME vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eliot, ME costs about 198% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,177 per month in Eliot, ME 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 $1,569 in Eliot, ME.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Eliot, ME 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 121% more in Eliot, ME, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,785 in Eliot, ME 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.

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