Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Smith, AR and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,951

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,951 per month in Fort Smith, AR vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Smith, AR $1,951
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,992 per month in Fort Smith, AR vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Smith, AR $2,992
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,033 per month in Fort Smith, AR vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort Smith, AR $4,033
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fort Smith, AR costs about 109% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort Smith, AR 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

$20.20 $20.20

$2.24 ฿75.6

801.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 $64.6

$19.00 ฿641

240.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 $11.43

$5.55 ฿187

105.95%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$1.67 ฿56.5

218.56%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$0.64 ฿21.55

273.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.31 ฿10.31

545.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.36 ฿79.6

152.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.04 $9.04

$3.66 ฿124

146.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.95 ฿65.8

-51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.44 ฿48.48

126.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.33 ฿45.04

184.21%

Eggs

$2.89 $2.89

$2.28 ฿77.1

26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$16.45 ฿555

-54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.76 $10.76

$2.78 ฿93.9

287.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$9.31 ฿314

110.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.35 ฿79.4

102.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.97 ฿32.80

49.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.60 ฿53.9

55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.50 ฿50.6

40.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.28 ฿43.12

48.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.10 ฿37.19

43.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.71 ฿23.82

146.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.49 ฿16.37

365.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.33 $8.33

$4.14 ฿140

101.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.89 $13.89

$17.52 ฿591

-20.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.61 ฿54.5

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.78 ฿94.0

-5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.87 ฿29.31

40.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.44 $35.44

$54.1 ฿1,826

-34.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.16 ฿39.06

131.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.53 ฿17.80

143.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 $29.99

$2.42 ฿81.8

1139.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.45 ฿48.90

-47.59%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

23.27%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-5.04%

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

$276 $276

$62.2 ฿2,098

343.35%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$12.17 ฿411

471.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$20.12 ฿679

243.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.06 $27.06

$37.31 ฿1,259

-27.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.22 $16.22

$3.77 ฿127

330.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.52 $13.52

$6.49 ฿219

108.32%

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

$918 $918

$736 ฿24.8K

24.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

59.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$53.4 ฿1,801

2.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 $41.77

$24.64 ฿831

69.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 $91.8

$91.5 ฿3,087

0.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 $77.6

$71.9 ฿2,428

7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 $683

$482 ฿16.3K

41.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 $646

$309 ฿10.4K

109.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,006 ฿33.9K

52.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$633 ฿21.4K

104.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,557 $1,557

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-34.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,561 $1,561

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-1.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,154 $3,154

$590 ฿19.9K

434.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

5.57

14.54%

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

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: 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 Smith, AR

$646 33.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 52.2% $337

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Smith, AR

$414 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 77.2% $320

Groceries & Markets

Fort Smith, AR

$342 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.6% $108

Eating Out

Fort Smith, AR

$325 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.1% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Smith, AR

$120 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7% $3.8

Getting Around

Fort Smith, AR

$49 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 24.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $683 in Fort Smith, AR 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 Smith, AR are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Fort Smith, AR versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

13 h ahead of Fort Smith, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,142

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fort Smith, AR Chiang Mai 13,830 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Smith, AR
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 Smith, AR vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Smith, AR costs about 109% 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 $2,926 per month in Fort Smith, AR 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 $683 in Fort Smith, AR.

Kindergarten costs $918 per month in Fort Smith, AR 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 46% more in Fort Smith, AR, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,951 in Fort Smith, AR 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, Fort Smith, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.