Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Chiang Mai $1,903

Fort Madison, IA costs about 177% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort Madison, IA sits 89% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$2.29 ฿76.5

765.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$19.64 ฿656

287.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$5.61 ฿188

103.21%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$1.66 ฿55.6

230.72%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$0.70 ฿23.40

275.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.31 ฿10.24

538.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$2.41 ฿80.4

154.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.71 ฿124

98.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.95 ฿65.3

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.41 ฿47.03

144.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.31 ฿43.62

228.24%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.18 ฿72.9

90.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$16.65 ฿556

-24.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$2.76 ฿92.2

310.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$9.11 ฿304

87.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.39 ฿80.0

104.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.03 ฿34.26

53.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.63 ฿54.4

159.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.50 ฿50.0

221.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.29 ฿43.13

120.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.11 ฿37.03

164.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.72 ฿24.08

197.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.53 ฿17.59

316.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.31 ฿144

134.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$17.95 ฿600

-16.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.58 ฿52.9

6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.84 ฿95.0

5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.86 ฿28.86

163.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.21 ฿40.29

175.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.57 ฿18.99

208.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$2.35 ฿78.6

1248.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.44 ฿47.96

-36.11%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

28.09%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-11.14%

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

$201 $201

$62.3 ฿2,083

223.18%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$12.11 ฿405

387.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$19.94 ฿666

255.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$37.07 ฿1,239

10.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$6.50 ฿217

117.54%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$793 ฿26.5K

81.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

60.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$53.7 ฿1,796

0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$24.62 ฿823

66.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$90.9 ฿3,036

-3.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$71.1 ฿2,378

61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$455 ฿15.2K

247.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$298 ฿9,954

332.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$908 ฿30.4K

178.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$554 ฿18.5K

286.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$1,931 ฿64.5K

25.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$1,445 ฿48.3K

79.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 76.9% $989

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 40.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 71.5% $237

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 75.6% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 19.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.8% $19

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 187% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA versus $455 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 $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

08:00 8:00 AM

12 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Madison, IA Chiang Mai 13,320 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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 Madison, IA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Madison, IA costs about 177% 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 $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA and $1,388 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Fort Madison, IA, 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 $925, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. 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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.