Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fremont, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,943 in Fremont, CA, rent and utilities included – about $36,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

191

Cost of Living Index in Fremont, CA
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Fremont, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fremont, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,943

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,943 per month in Fremont, CA vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fremont, CA $3,943
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $5,575 per month in Fremont, CA vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fremont, CA $5,575
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $7,207 per month in Fremont, CA vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fremont, CA $7,207
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fremont, CA costs about 321% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fremont, CA sits 190% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 $19.75

$2.24 ฿75.7

781.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$19.00 ฿642

301.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$5.55 ฿188

118.02%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$1.67 ฿56.6

234.73%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$0.64 ฿21.56

312.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.31 ฿10.32

658.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.98 $8.98

$2.36 ฿79.6

280.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.08 $10.08

$3.66 ฿124

175.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.44 ฿48.51

201.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.33 ฿45.07

215.04%

Eggs

$6.39 $6.39

$2.28 ฿77.1

180.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$16.45 ฿556

17.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$2.78 ฿94.0

413.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$9.31 ฿314

92.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.35 ฿79.5

120.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.97 ฿32.82

102.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.35 $5.35

$1.60 ฿53.9

234.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$1.50 ฿50.7

272.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.28 ฿43.15

171.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.10 ฿37.22

175.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.71 ฿23.84

240.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.49 ฿16.38

400.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$4.14 ฿140

182.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.34 $15.34

$17.52 ฿592

-12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.61 ฿54.5

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.78 ฿94.0

20.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.87 ฿29.33

239.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.7 $91.7

$54.1 ฿1,827

69.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.16 ฿39.08

209.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.53 ฿17.82

479.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.75 $29.75

$2.42 ฿81.8

1129.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.45 ฿48.93

8.97%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

47.24%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

0.22%

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

$368 $368

$62.2 ฿2,100

492.28%

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

$42.29 $42.29

$12.17 ฿411

247.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.9 $83.9

$20.12 ฿680

316.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.36 $36.36

$37.31 ฿1,260

-2.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.28 $8.28

$3.77 ฿127

119.63%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 $16.54

$6.49 ฿219

154.85%

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

$1,838 $1,838

$736 ฿24.9K

149.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.6K $40.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

174.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$53.4 ฿1,802

11.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 $50.5

$24.64 ฿832

105.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 $91.5

$91.5 ฿3,089

-0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$71.9 ฿2,429

65.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,004 $3,004

$482 ฿16.3K

522.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,291 $2,291

$309 ฿10.4K

641.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,727 $4,727

$1,006 ฿34.0K

369.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,780 $3,780

$633 ฿21.4K

496.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K $10.5K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

346.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,279 $7,279

$1,589 ฿53.7K

358.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,829 $7,829

$590 ฿19.9K

1227.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for Fremont, CA: 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

Fremont, CA

$2.3K 58.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 86.5% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fremont, CA

$494 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 80.9% $400

Groceries & Markets

Fremont, CA

$475 12%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 50.6% $240

Eating Out

Fremont, CA

$346 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77.6% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Fremont, CA

$144 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.7% $36

Getting Around

Fremont, CA

$122 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 49.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Fremont, CA

$69 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,004 in Fremont, CA 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 Fremont, CA are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Fremont, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $475 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fremont, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

06:00 6:00 AM

14 h ahead of Fremont, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,110

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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Fremont, CA Chiang Mai 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Fremont, CA
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

Fremont, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fremont, CA costs about 321% 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 $5,914 per month in Fremont, CA 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 $3,004 in Fremont, CA.

Kindergarten costs $1,838 per month in Fremont, CA 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 103% more in Fremont, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,943 in Fremont, CA 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 $3,943 in Fremont, CA. 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, Fremont, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.