Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between High Point, NC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,187 in High Point, NC, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in High Point, NC
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High Point, NC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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High Point, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,187

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,187 per month in High Point, NC vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

High Point, NC $2,187
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,183 per month in High Point, NC vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

High Point, NC $3,183
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,180 per month in High Point, NC vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

High Point, NC $4,180
Chiang Mai $1,979

High Point, NC costs about 134% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

High Point, NC sits 61% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.93 $17.93

$2.24 ฿75.6

700.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.9 $80.9

$19.00 ฿641

325.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 $9.91

$5.55 ฿187

78.56%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$1.67 ฿56.5

222.75%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$0.64 ฿21.55

321.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.31 ฿10.31

548.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.36 ฿79.6

107.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.66 ฿124

65.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.95 ฿65.8

-51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.44 ฿48.48

178.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.33 ฿45.04

142.11%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$2.28 ฿77.1

88.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.53 $16.53

$16.45 ฿555

0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$2.78 ฿93.9

389.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.34 $18.34

$9.31 ฿314

96.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.35 ฿79.4

131.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.97 ฿32.80

52.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.60 ฿53.9

196.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.50 ฿50.6

210.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.28 ฿43.12

199.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.10 ฿37.19

209.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.71 ฿23.82

176.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.49 ฿16.37

361.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.79 $8.79

$4.14 ฿140

112.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$17.52 ฿591

-13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.61 ฿54.5

1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

36.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.87 ฿29.31

182.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 $79.1

$54.1 ฿1,826

46.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.16 ฿39.06

160.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.53 ฿17.80

260.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$2.42 ฿81.8

514.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 ฿48.90

-30.34%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

41.92%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-3.76%

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

$172 $172

$62.2 ฿2,098

176.81%

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

$52.1 $52.1

$12.17 ฿411

328.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$20.12 ฿679

269.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 $12.12

$6.49 ฿219

86.75%

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

$1,292 $1,292

$736 ฿24.8K

75.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-31.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.75 $38.75

$53.4 ฿1,801

-27.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.60 $34.60

$24.64 ฿831

40.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 $85.0

$91.5 ฿3,087

-7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$71.9 ฿2,428

54.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 $1,174

$482 ฿16.3K

143.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 $918

$309 ฿10.4K

197.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,438 $1,438

$1,006 ฿33.9K

42.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 $1,312

$633 ฿21.4K

107.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,954 $1,954

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-17.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,923 $1,923

$1,589 ฿53.6K

21.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,261 $4,261

$590 ฿19.9K

622.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

5.57

16.34%

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

Last update for High Point, NC: 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

High Point, NC

$918 42%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 66.3% $609

Groceries & Markets

High Point, NC

$430 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 45.5% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

High Point, NC

$299 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.4% $204

Eating Out

High Point, NC

$293 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.5% $216

Clothing & Footwear

High Point, NC

$121 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.5% $13

Getting Around

High Point, NC

$102 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 39.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

High Point, NC

$24 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 107% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,174 in High Point, NC 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 High Point, NC are about 7.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in High Point, NC versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 High Point, NC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

17:05 5:05 PM

12 h ahead of High Point, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,371

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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

High Point, NC Chiang Mai 13,930 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

High Point, NC
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

High Point, NC vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

High Point, NC costs about 134% 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 $3,280 per month in High Point, NC 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 $1,174 in High Point, NC.

Kindergarten costs $1,292 per month in High Point, NC 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 84% more in High Point, NC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,187 in High Point, NC 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, High Point, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.