Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jackson, MS and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,025 in Jackson, MS, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Jackson, MS
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Jackson, MS Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jackson, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,025

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,025 per month in Jackson, MS vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jackson, MS $2,025
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,848 per month in Jackson, MS vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jackson, MS $2,848
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,672 per month in Jackson, MS vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jackson, MS $3,672
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jackson, MS costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Jackson, MS sits 49% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.53 $17.53

$2.24 ฿75.6

682.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 $60.3

$19.00 ฿641

217.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 $9.55

$5.55 ฿187

72.07%

Cappuccino

$4.31 $4.31

$1.67 ฿56.5

158.08%

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

$1.64 $1.64

$0.64 ฿21.53

156.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$0.31 ฿10.30

422.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.36 ฿79.5

72.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.66 ฿124

11.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.95 ฿65.7

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.44 ฿48.45

111.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.33 ฿45.01

200.00%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$2.28 ฿77.0

65.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 $8.46

$16.45 ฿555

-48.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$2.78 ฿93.8

300.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$9.31 ฿314

-25.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.35 ฿79.4

142.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$0.97 ฿32.78

13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.60 ฿53.9

-9.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$1.50 ฿50.6

228.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.28 ฿43.10

141.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.10 ฿37.17

82.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.71 ฿23.81

112.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.49 ฿16.36

353.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 $8.32

$4.14 ฿140

100.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$17.52 ฿591

-26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.61 ฿54.5

10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.78 ฿93.9

-42.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.87 ฿29.29

70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.81 $42.81

$54.1 ฿1,825

-20.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.16 ฿39.03

77.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.53 ฿17.79

162.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.85 $18.85

$2.42 ฿81.7

678.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.45 ฿48.87

-32.41%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

28.40%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-2.36%

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

$185 $185

$62.2 ฿2,097

196.80%

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

$54.9 $54.9

$12.17 ฿410

350.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.1 $73.1

$20.12 ฿679

263.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.45 $48.45

$37.31 ฿1,259

29.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 $16.20

$3.77 ฿127

329.71%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 $12.96

$6.49 ฿219

99.69%

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

$606 $606

$736 ฿24.8K

-17.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

65.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.61 $47.61

$53.4 ฿1,800

-10.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.65 $22.65

$24.64 ฿831

-8.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$91.5 ฿3,086

-8.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$71.9 ฿2,426

58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$482 ฿16.3K

108.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 $875

$309 ฿10.4K

183.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,049 $2,049

$1,006 ฿33.9K

103.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 $1,189

$633 ฿21.4K

87.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,373 $1,373

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-41.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,121 $1,121

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-29.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,840 $2,840

$590 ฿19.9K

381.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

5.57

10.95%

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

Last update for Jackson, MS: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jackson, MS

$875 43.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 64.7% $566

Groceries & Markets

Jackson, MS

$322 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.2% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jackson, MS

$312 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 69.8% $218

Eating Out

Jackson, MS

$262 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 70.4% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Jackson, MS

$121 6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Jackson, MS

$74 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.4% $24

Getting Around

Jackson, MS

$58 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 6.3% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,005 in Jackson, MS 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 Jackson, MS are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Jackson, MS versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jackson, MS

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

07:54 7:54 AM

13 h ahead of Jackson, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,701

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jackson, MS Chiang Mai 14,250 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Jackson, MS
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

Jackson, MS vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jackson, MS costs about 116% 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 $3,037 per month in Jackson, MS 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 $1,005 in Jackson, MS.

Kindergarten costs $606 per month in Jackson, MS 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 37% more in Jackson, MS, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,025 in Jackson, MS and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,025 in Jackson, MS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jackson, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.