Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Huntington Beach, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,561 in Huntington Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

172

Cost of Living Index in Huntington Beach, CA
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Huntington Beach, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Huntington Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,561

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,561 per month in Huntington Beach, CA vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Huntington Beach, CA $3,561
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $5,920 per month in Huntington Beach, CA vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Huntington Beach, CA $5,920
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $8,278 per month in Huntington Beach, CA vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Huntington Beach, CA $8,278
Chiang Mai $1,903

Huntington Beach, CA costs about 285% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Huntington Beach, CA sits 163% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.92 $15.92

$2.29 ฿76.5

595.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$19.64 ฿656

301.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.83 $14.83

$5.61 ฿188

164.35%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$1.66 ฿55.6

251.81%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$0.70 ฿23.40

347.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.31 ฿10.24

638.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 $7.27

$2.41 ฿80.4

201.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.71 ฿124

121.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.95 ฿65.3

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.41 ฿47.03

261.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.31 ฿43.62

272.52%

Eggs

$5.08 $5.08

$2.18 ฿72.9

133.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$16.65 ฿556

-26.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.24 $19.24

$2.76 ฿92.2

597.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 $15.42

$9.11 ฿304

69.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$2.39 ฿80.0

96.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.03 ฿34.26

65.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.63 ฿54.4

155.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$1.50 ฿50.0

271.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.29 ฿43.13

246.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.11 ฿37.03

184.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.72 ฿24.08

190.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.53 ฿17.59

364.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$4.31 ฿144

177.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$17.95 ฿600

-15.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.58 ฿52.9

26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.84 ฿95.0

14.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.21 ฿40.29

261.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.57 ฿18.99

224.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.49 $35.49

$2.35 ฿78.6

1410.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.44 ฿47.96

11.11%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

35.69%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-2.42%

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

$211 $211

$62.3 ฿2,083

239.23%

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

$62.3 $62.3

$12.11 ฿405

414.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$19.94 ฿666

293.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.12 $44.12

$37.07 ฿1,239

19.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$6.50 ฿217

131.08%

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

$1,183 $1,183

$793 ฿26.5K

49.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.3K $43.3K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

192.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 $64.4

$53.7 ฿1,796

19.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.20 $41.20

$24.62 ฿823

67.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$90.9 ฿3,036

11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$71.1 ฿2,378

64.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,612 $2,612

$455 ฿15.2K

473.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$298 ฿9,954

636.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,918 $4,918

$908 ฿30.4K

441.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,279 $5,279

$554 ฿18.5K

853.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,928 $7,928

$1,931 ฿64.5K

310.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,031 $5,031

$1,445 ฿48.3K

248.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,627 $5,627

$591 ฿19.7K

852.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.57

19.21%

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

Last update for Huntington Beach, CA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Huntington Beach, CA

$2.2K 61.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 86.4% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Huntington Beach, CA

$464 13%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 49.3% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Huntington Beach, CA

$352 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 73.2% $258

Eating Out

Huntington Beach, CA

$316 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 75.2% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Huntington Beach, CA

$146 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 25.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Huntington Beach, CA

$74 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.5% $24

Getting Around

Huntington Beach, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 346% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,612 in Huntington Beach, CA 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.

Salaries run about 852% higher in Huntington Beach, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Huntington Beach, CA versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $464 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Huntington Beach, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

02:15 2:15 AM

14 h ahead of Huntington Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,366

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Huntington Beach, CA Chiang Mai 12,990 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Huntington Beach, 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

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

Huntington Beach, CA costs about 285% 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 $5,342 per month in Huntington Beach, CA 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 $79.0 in Huntington Beach, CA 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 97% more in Huntington Beach, CA, 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 Huntington Beach, CA at $3,561. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Huntington Beach, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $3,561 in Huntington Beach, CA. 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, Huntington Beach, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.