Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,170 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,170

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,170 per month in Long Beach, CA vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Long Beach, CA $3,170
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $4,689 per month in Long Beach, CA vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Long Beach, CA $4,689
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $6,209 per month in Long Beach, CA vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Long Beach, CA $6,209
Chiang Mai $1,999

Long Beach, CA costs about 239% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Long Beach, CA sits 134% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$2.13 ฿71.7

837.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$18.62 ฿625

334.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.09 $15.09

$5.60 ฿188

169.46%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$1.66 ฿55.9

264.46%

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

$3.45 $3.45

$0.65 ฿21.73

430.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.30 ฿10.24

706.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 $7.53

$2.32 ฿78.0

224.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.64 $9.64

$3.67 ฿123

162.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.02 ฿67.7

-48.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.41 ฿47.29

194.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.39 ฿46.75

240.29%

Eggs

$4.77 $4.77

$2.37 ฿79.5

101.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$16.52 ฿555

-22.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.28 $20.28

$2.67 ฿89.7

659.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.61 $15.61

$9.02 ฿303

73.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.40 ฿80.6

105.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.04 ฿34.98

64.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$1.66 ฿55.7

234.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.56 ฿52.4

280.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.24 ฿41.57

199.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.09 ฿36.50

106.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.76 ฿25.59

161.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.51 ฿17.27

258.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 $11.86

$4.12 ฿138

187.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$17.93 ฿602

-15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.62 ฿54.5

17.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.82 ฿94.8

43.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.93 ฿31.39

32.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 $65.3

$52.9 ฿1,777

23.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.18 ฿39.52

158.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.17 ฿5.76

970.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.98 $35.98

$1.81 ฿60.9

1887.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.47 ฿49.47

8.16%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

34.59%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

3.33%

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

$170 $170

$62.6 ฿2,101

171.85%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$11.60 ฿390

471.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$20.30 ฿682

195.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.19 $36.19

$37.88 ฿1,272

-4.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$6.51 ฿219

133.49%

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

$1,936 $1,936

$727 ฿24.4K

166.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

6.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$53.5 ฿1,798

7.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 $39.27

$24.80 ฿833

58.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 $91.2

$90.4 ฿3,036

0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$72.0 ฿2,418

104.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 $2,097

$481 ฿16.2K

335.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 $1,759

$310 ฿10.4K

467.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,556 $3,556

$1,058 ฿35.5K

235.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,038 $3,038

$659 ฿22.1K

361.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 $7,121

$2,418 ฿81.2K

194.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,423 $6,423

$1,609 ฿54.0K

299.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,670 $4,670

$595 ฿20.0K

685.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.57

13.29%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 55.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 82.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$457 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 48.2% $221

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$358 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 78.6% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$296 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.1% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 28.1% $42

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$82 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 28.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$67 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 23.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,097 in Long Beach, CA versus $481 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 Long Beach, CA are about 7.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Long Beach, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

10:55 10:55 AM

15 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Long Beach, CA Chiang Mai 12,970 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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

Long Beach, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Long Beach, CA costs about 239% 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 $4,755 per month in Long Beach, CA 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 $481 there versus $2,097 in Long Beach, CA.

Kindergarten costs $1,936 per month in Long Beach, CA and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% more in Long Beach, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,170 in Long Beach, CA and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $3,170 in Long Beach, CA. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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