Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iola, KS and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,663 in Iola, KS, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Iola, KS
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Iola, KS Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Iola, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Iola, KS vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iola, KS $2,663
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,857 per month in Iola, KS vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iola, KS $3,857
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,052 per month in Iola, KS vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iola, KS $5,052
Chiang Mai $1,999

Iola, KS costs about 185% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iola, KS sits 97% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.05 $28.05

$2.13 ฿71.8

1216.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$18.62 ฿626

224.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 $10.79

$5.60 ฿188

92.68%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$1.66 ฿55.9

205.42%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$0.65 ฿21.75

307.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.30 ฿10.25

633.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.32 ฿78.1

98.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 $6.31

$3.67 ฿123

71.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.02 ฿67.8

-42.08%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.41 ฿47.34

210.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.39 ฿46.79

57.55%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.37 ฿79.6

69.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 $11.04

$16.52 ฿555

-33.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 $9.09

$2.67 ฿89.8

240.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.34 $15.34

$9.02 ฿303

70.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.40 ฿80.6

80.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.04 ฿35.01

9.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.66 ฿55.8

84.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.56 ฿52.4

177.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.24 ฿41.61

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.09 ฿36.53

116.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.76 ฿25.61

132.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.51 ฿17.29

301.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.82 $7.82

$4.12 ฿139

89.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.51 $13.51

$17.93 ฿603

-24.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.62 ฿54.6

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.82 ฿94.9

36.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.93 ฿31.42

89.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 $52.3

$52.9 ฿1,778

-1.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.18 ฿39.56

156.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.17 ฿5.76

729.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.55 $36.55

$1.81 ฿60.9

1919.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.47 ฿49.51

-36.05%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

33.43%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

1.46%

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

$268 $268

$62.6 ฿2,103

329.17%

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

$57.7 $57.7

$11.60 ฿390

397.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$20.30 ฿683

262.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.71 $45.71

$37.88 ฿1,274

20.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$13.01 $13.01

$6.51 ฿219

99.85%

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

$763 $763

$727 ฿24.4K

4.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-39.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.4 $71.4

$53.5 ฿1,800

33.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.50 $36.50

$24.80 ฿834

47.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 $79.6

$90.4 ฿3,039

-11.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$72.0 ฿2,420

72.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 $1,598

$481 ฿16.2K

232.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 $1,257

$310 ฿10.4K

305.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 $2,588

$1,058 ฿35.6K

144.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$659 ฿22.1K

221.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,091 $3,091

$2,418 ฿81.3K

27.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,520 $2,520

$1,609 ฿54.1K

56.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.57

14.18%

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

Last update for Iola, KS: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iola, KS

$1.3K 47.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 75.4% $947

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iola, KS

$400 15%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 76.4% $305

Eating Out

Iola, KS

$373 14%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 79.5% $296

Groceries & Markets

Iola, KS

$352 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 32.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Iola, KS

$140 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 22.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Iola, KS

$72 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 29% $21

Getting Around

Iola, KS

$69 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 15.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,598 in Iola, KS versus $481 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 $60 in Iola, KS versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iola, KS

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

00:49 12:49 AM

13 h ahead of Iola, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,400

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Iola, KS Chiang Mai 13,530 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Iola, KS
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

Iola, KS vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iola, KS costs about 185% 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 $3,995 per month in Iola, KS 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 $481 there versus $1,598 in Iola, KS.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Iola, KS and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Iola, KS, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,663 in Iola, KS and $935 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.