Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Iowa City, IA is 73.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 171.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Iowa City, IA is 107.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 131.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$2.03 ฿64.3

642.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$18.59 ฿590

298.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$7.48 ฿237

21.79%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$2.00 ฿63.3

157.00%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$0.85 ฿26.87

189.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.35 ฿11.15

408.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.21 ฿70.2

128.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.76 ฿119

89.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.72 ฿54.5

-48.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.63 ฿51.8

66.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.16 ฿36.75

321.55%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$1.98 ฿62.8

97.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 $9.46

$15.93 ฿505

-40.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 $10.50

$3.17 ฿100

231.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.32 $16.32

$10.90 ฿346

49.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.65 ฿83.9

27.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.22 ฿38.79

-0.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.70 ฿53.8

56.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.59 ฿50.4

202.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.32 ฿42.00

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.17 ฿37.07

141.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.68 ฿21.50

186.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.56 ฿17.68

264.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.18 $9.18

$4.51 ฿143

103.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$19.07 ฿605

-17.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.77 ฿56.2

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.18 ฿101

47.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.96 ฿30.54

106.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.81 $15.81

$18.90 ฿599

-16.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.36 ฿43.07

222.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.35 ฿42.89

65.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.99 $41.99

$8.03 ฿255

422.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.24 ฿39.43

-34.68%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.2K ฿671.3K

20.49%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.8K ฿690.1K

17.07%

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

$220 $220

$71.2 ฿2,260

208.38%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$14.09 ฿447

263.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.6 $75.6

$17.47 ฿554

332.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.87 $48.87

$42.07 ฿1,335

16.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 $19.77

$6.88 ฿218

187.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 $11.99

$5.94 ฿188

101.85%

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

$1,248 $1,248

$307 ฿9,750

306.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$14.8K ฿469.3K

64.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 $66.9

$55.7 ฿1,766

20.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.11 $48.11

$26.79 ฿850

79.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$83.2 ฿2,640

21.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$70.1 ฿2,224

61.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 $1,209

$427 ฿13.6K

182.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 $1,095

$237 ฿7,521

361.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,359 $2,359

$802 ฿25.4K

194.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 $1,559

$503 ฿16.0K

209.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,792 $3,792

$2,061 ฿65.4K

84.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,533 ฿48.6K

25.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,695 $3,695

$654 ฿20.7K

465.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

28.60%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada