Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kailua, HI and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $4,158 in Kailua, HI, rent and utilities included – about $38,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

199

Cost of Living Index in Kailua, HI
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Kailua, HI Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kailua, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,158

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,158 per month in Kailua, HI vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kailua, HI $4,158
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $6,091 per month in Kailua, HI vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kailua, HI $6,091
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $8,024 per month in Kailua, HI vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kailua, HI $8,024
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kailua, HI costs about 344% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kailua, HI sits 205% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.99 $27.99

$2.24 ฿75.7

1149.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$139 $139

$19.00 ฿642

632.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 $11.68

$5.55 ฿188

110.45%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$1.67 ฿56.6

285.63%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$0.64 ฿21.56

371.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.31 ฿10.32

667.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.40 $9.40

$2.36 ฿79.6

298.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.23 $9.23

$3.66 ฿124

152.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.95 ฿65.8

10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$7.58 $7.58

$1.44 ฿48.51

426.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$1.33 ฿45.07

497.74%

Eggs

$8.24 $8.24

$2.28 ฿77.1

261.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$16.45 ฿556

14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.04 $16.04

$2.78 ฿94.0

476.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.78 $21.78

$9.31 ฿314

133.94%

Apples (1kg)

$7.80 $7.80

$2.35 ฿79.5

231.91%

Banana (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$0.97 ฿32.82

345.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$1.60 ฿53.9

341.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$1.50 ฿50.7

526.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.28 ฿43.15

182.81%

Onion (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.10 ฿37.22

340.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.71 ฿23.84

535.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$0.49 ฿16.38

548.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 $13.08

$4.14 ฿140

215.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.76 $16.76

$17.52 ฿592

-4.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.61 ฿54.5

67.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.78 ฿94.0

-23.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 $3.90

$0.87 ฿29.33

348.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 $91.1

$54.1 ฿1,827

68.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.16 ฿39.08

210.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.53 ฿17.82

388.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.45 $44.45

$2.42 ฿81.8

1736.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.45 ฿48.93

-13.10%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

66.17%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-1.25%

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

$249 $249

$62.2 ฿2,100

300.68%

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

$50.1 $50.1

$12.17 ฿411

311.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$20.12 ฿680

232.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 $70.8

$37.31 ฿1,260

89.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.13 $40.13

$3.77 ฿127

964.46%

Cinema Ticket

$18.73 $18.73

$6.49 ฿219

188.60%

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

$2,109 $2,109

$736 ฿24.9K

186.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.9K $26.9K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

82.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$53.4 ฿1,802

16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 $47.57

$24.64 ฿832

93.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$91.5 ฿3,089

12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$71.9 ฿2,429

79.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,725 $2,725

$482 ฿16.3K

465.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 $2,351

$309 ฿10.4K

660.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,306 $4,306

$1,006 ฿34.0K

328.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,733 $3,733

$633 ฿21.4K

489.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K $12.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

421.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,638 $9,638

$1,589 ฿53.7K

506.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,764 $4,764

$590 ฿19.9K

707.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

5.57

20.29%

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

Last update for Kailua, HI: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kailua, HI

$2.4K 56.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 86.9% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Kailua, HI

$632 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 62.9% $398

Eating Out

Kailua, HI

$423 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 81.7% $346

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kailua, HI

$366 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.2% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Kailua, HI

$154 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.5% $45

Getting Around

Kailua, HI

$123 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Kailua, HI

$108 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 53.6% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,725 in Kailua, HI 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 Kailua, HI are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $139 in Kailua, HI versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $632 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kailua, HI

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

17 h ahead of Kailua, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,975

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kailua, HI Chiang Mai 10,790 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kailua, HI
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

Kailua, HI vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kailua, HI costs about 344% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,237 per month in Kailua, HI 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 $2,725 in Kailua, HI.

Kindergarten costs $2,109 per month in Kailua, HI 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 170% more in Kailua, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,158 in Kailua, HI 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.

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, Kailua, HI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.