Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islip, NY and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,259 in Islip, NY, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. The total is higher in Islip, NY despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
Learn more

Islip, NY Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,259

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,259 per month in Islip, NY vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Islip, NY $1,259
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,207 per month in Islip, NY vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Islip, NY $2,207
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Islip, NY vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Islip, NY $3,154
Chiang Mai $1,979

Islip, NY costs about 35% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Islip, NY and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Islip, NY 7% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$2.24 ฿75.7

1065.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$19.00 ฿642

543.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.05 $14.05

$5.55 ฿188

153.15%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$1.67 ฿56.6

207.78%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$0.64 ฿21.56

345.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.31 ฿10.32

635.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$2.36 ฿79.6

229.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 $10.17

$3.66 ฿124

177.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.95 ฿65.8

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.44 ฿48.51

215.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.33 ฿45.07

204.51%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$2.28 ฿77.1

120.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$16.45 ฿556

13.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.41 $17.41

$2.78 ฿94.0

526.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$9.31 ฿314

76.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.35 ฿79.5

90.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.97 ฿32.82

32.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.60 ฿53.9

35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.50 ฿50.7

94.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.28 ฿43.15

39.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.10 ฿37.22

97.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.71 ฿23.84

115.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$0.49 ฿16.38

124.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.94 $14.94

$4.14 ฿140

260.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.96 $12.96

$17.52 ฿592

-26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.61 ฿54.5

45.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.78 ฿94.0

35.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 $4.37

$0.87 ฿29.33

402.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.16 ฿39.08

156.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.53 ฿17.82

315.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.26 $41.26

$2.42 ฿81.8

1604.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.45 ฿48.93

-19.31%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

32.69%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-1.02%

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

$80.2 $80.2

$62.2 ฿2,100

28.94%

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

$71.2 $71.2

$12.17 ฿411

484.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$20.12 ฿680

246.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.6 $59.6

$37.31 ฿1,260

59.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$15.83 $15.83

$6.49 ฿219

143.91%

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

$3,537 $3,537

$736 ฿24.9K

380.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.6K $61.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

317.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 $44.55

$53.4 ฿1,802

-16.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.92 $27.92

$24.64 ฿832

13.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 $75.0

$91.5 ฿3,089

-18.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 $91.4

$71.9 ฿2,429

27.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 $1,989

$482 ฿16.3K

312.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,382 $3,382

$1,006 ฿34.0K

236.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,975 $3,975

$590 ฿19.9K

574.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.57

19.03%

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

Last update for Islip, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Islip, NY

$416 33%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.6% $181

Eating Out

Islip, NY

$392 31.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 80.2% $315

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islip, NY

$221 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Islip, NY

$107 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Islip, NY

$91 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 44.9% $41

Getting Around

Islip, NY

$31 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 95% $30

Accommodation & Living

Islip, NY

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,989 in Islip, NY 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 Islip, NY are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Islip, NY versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

20:20 8:20 PM

11 h ahead of Islip, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,938

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 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 = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Islip, NY Chiang Mai 13,350 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Islip, NY
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

Islip, NY vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY costs about 35% 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 $1,889 per month in Islip, NY 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 $1,989 in Islip, NY.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Islip, NY 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 77% more in Islip, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,259 in Islip, NY 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Islip, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.