Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Collins, CO and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Fort Collins, CO
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Fort Collins, CO Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fort Collins, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,816

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,816 per month in Fort Collins, CO vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Collins, CO $2,816
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,951 per month in Fort Collins, CO vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Collins, CO $3,951
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,085 per month in Fort Collins, CO vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Collins, CO $5,085
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fort Collins, CO costs about 201% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort Collins, CO sits 107% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 $22.88

$2.24 ฿75.6

921.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$19.00 ฿641

316.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 $11.24

$5.55 ฿187

102.52%

Cappuccino

$6.22 $6.22

$1.67 ฿56.5

272.46%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$0.64 ฿21.53

296.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.31 ฿10.30

564.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$2.36 ฿79.5

198.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.66 ฿124

88.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.95 ฿65.7

-47.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.44 ฿48.45

107.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.33 ฿45.01

109.77%

Eggs

$4.13 $4.13

$2.28 ฿77.0

81.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$16.45 ฿555

-32.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$2.78 ฿93.8

232.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.48 $19.48

$9.31 ฿314

109.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.35 ฿79.4

111.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.97 ฿32.78

56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.60 ฿53.9

200.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.50 ฿50.6

256.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.28 ฿43.10

179.69%

Onion (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.10 ฿37.17

323.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.71 ฿23.81

228.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.49 ฿16.36

263.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 $10.32

$4.14 ฿140

149.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 $16.64

$17.52 ฿591

-5.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.61 ฿54.5

53.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.78 ฿93.9

-2.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.16 ฿39.03

109.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.53 ฿17.79

258.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.61 $24.61

$2.42 ฿81.7

916.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.45 ฿48.87

-29.66%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

34.65%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-2.91%

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

$210 $210

$62.2 ฿2,097

237.99%

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

$56.6 $56.6

$12.17 ฿410

365.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$20.12 ฿679

250.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 $51.8

$37.31 ฿1,259

38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.76 $29.76

$3.77 ฿127

689.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 $11.96

$6.49 ฿219

84.28%

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

$1,288 $1,288

$736 ฿24.8K

74.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-14.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$53.4 ฿1,800

10.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.5 $68.5

$24.64 ฿831

177.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 $81.6

$91.5 ฿3,086

-10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$71.9 ฿2,426

58.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,817 $1,817

$482 ฿16.3K

276.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 $1,499

$309 ฿10.4K

385.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,837 $2,837

$1,006 ฿33.9K

181.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,143 $2,143

$633 ฿21.4K

238.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,076 $4,076

$2,363 ฿79.7K

72.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,793 $2,793

$1,589 ฿53.6K

75.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,503 $4,503

$590 ฿19.9K

663.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

5.57

21.54%

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

Last update for Fort Collins, CO: 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

Fort Collins, CO

$1.5K 53.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 79.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Fort Collins, CO

$388 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.6% $153

Eating Out

Fort Collins, CO

$359 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 78.4% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Collins, CO

$337 12%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Collins, CO

$145 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Collins, CO

$76 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 33.6% $25

Getting Around

Fort Collins, CO

$12 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 414% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO 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 Fort Collins, CO are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fort Collins, CO versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Collins, CO

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

23:51 11:51 PM

14 h ahead of Fort Collins, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,612

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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 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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Fort Collins, CO Chiang Mai 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Collins, CO
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

Fort Collins, CO vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Collins, CO costs about 201% 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 $4,224 per month in Fort Collins, CO 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 $1,817 in Fort Collins, CO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fort Collins, CO 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 65% more in Fort Collins, CO, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,816 in Fort Collins, CO. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fort Collins, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.