Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kearney, NE and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,083 in Kearney, NE, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Kearney, NE
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Kearney, NE Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kearney, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,083

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,083 per month in Kearney, NE vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kearney, NE $2,083
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,931 per month in Kearney, NE vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kearney, NE $2,931
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,780 per month in Kearney, NE vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kearney, NE $3,780
Chiang Mai $1,903

Kearney, NE costs about 125% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kearney, NE sits 54% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 $15.29

$2.29 ฿76.5

567.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$19.64 ฿656

210.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 $11.87

$5.61 ฿188

111.59%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$1.66 ฿55.6

208.43%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$0.70 ฿23.40

201.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.31 ฿10.24

496.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.41 ฿80.4

68.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.71 ฿124

37.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.95 ฿65.3

-55.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.41 ฿47.03

19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.31 ฿43.62

180.92%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$2.18 ฿72.9

69.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 $8.79

$16.65 ฿556

-47.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$2.76 ฿92.2

136.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 $15.41

$9.11 ฿304

69.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.39 ฿80.0

127.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.03 ฿34.26

106.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.63 ฿54.4

189.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.50 ฿50.0

186.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.29 ฿43.13

46.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.11 ฿37.03

169.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.72 ฿24.08

179.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.53 ฿17.59

452.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.02 $9.02

$4.31 ฿144

109.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$17.95 ฿600

-15.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.58 ฿52.9

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.84 ฿95.0

-30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.21 ฿40.29

147.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$0.57 ฿18.99

135.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.73 $24.73

$2.35 ฿78.6

952.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.44 ฿47.96

-29.17%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

17.15%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

1.19%

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

$273 $273

$62.3 ฿2,083

338.15%

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

$62.3 $62.3

$12.11 ฿405

414.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$19.94 ฿666

268.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 $56.1

$37.07 ฿1,239

51.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.78 ฿126

57.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.42 $12.42

$6.50 ฿217

91.08%

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

$992 $992

$793 ฿26.5K

25.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K $19.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

29.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.42 $29.42

$53.7 ฿1,796

-45.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.22 $39.22

$24.62 ฿823

59.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 $95.6

$90.9 ฿3,036

5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$71.1 ฿2,378

71.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 $1,018

$455 ฿15.2K

123.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 $850

$298 ฿9,954

185.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$908 ฿30.4K

64.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 $1,224

$554 ฿18.5K

120.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,619 $1,619

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-16.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,445 ฿48.3K

9.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,554 $7,554

$591 ฿19.7K

1178.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Kearney, NE: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kearney, NE

$850 40.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 65% $552

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kearney, NE

$409 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 76.9% $314

Groceries & Markets

Kearney, NE

$339 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 30.5% $103

Eating Out

Kearney, NE

$266 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 70.4% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Kearney, NE

$129 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Kearney, NE

$81 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.1% $31

Getting Around

Kearney, NE

$9.7 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 527% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Kearney, NE versus $455 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 run about 1178% higher in Kearney, NE, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Kearney, NE versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kearney, NE

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

17:52 5:52 PM

12 h ahead of Kearney, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,385

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kearney, NE Chiang Mai 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kearney, NE
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

Kearney, NE vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kearney, NE costs about 125% 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 $3,125 per month in Kearney, NE and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Kearney, NE and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Kearney, NE, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Kearney, NE at $2,083. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kearney, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,083 in Kearney, NE. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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