Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,060 in Los Alamos, NM, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Los Alamos, NM despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,060

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,060 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,060
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,643 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,643
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,227 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $2,227
Chiang Mai $1,903

Los Alamos, NM costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Los Alamos, NM and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Los Alamos, NM 22% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 $16.75

$2.29 ฿76.5

631.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.58 $39.58

$19.64 ฿656

101.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$5.61 ฿188

75.04%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$1.66 ฿55.6

198.19%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$0.70 ฿23.40

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.31 ฿10.24

393.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.41 ฿80.4

145.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$3.71 ฿124

85.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.95 ฿65.3

-51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.41 ฿47.03

53.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.31 ฿43.62

252.67%

Eggs

$4.01 $4.01

$2.18 ฿72.9

83.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$16.65 ฿556

-28.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$2.76 ฿92.2

252.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.91 $17.91

$9.11 ฿304

96.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.39 ฿80.0

103.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.03 ฿34.26

38.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.63 ฿54.4

74.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.50 ฿50.0

190.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.29 ฿43.13

-13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.11 ฿37.03

200.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.72 ฿24.08

184.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.53 ฿17.59

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.00 $11.00

$4.31 ฿144

155.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 $13.84

$17.95 ฿600

-22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.58 ฿52.9

55.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.84 ฿95.0

28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.21 ฿40.29

198.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.57 ฿18.99

240.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 $32.32

$2.35 ฿78.6

1275.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.44 ฿47.96

-34.72%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

44.85%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-5.54%

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

$156 $156

$62.3 ฿2,083

150.84%

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

$40.31 $40.31

$12.11 ฿405

232.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$19.94 ฿666

263.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$12.88 $12.88

$6.50 ฿217

98.15%

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

$1,480 $1,480

$793 ฿26.5K

86.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

69.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.09 $20.09

$53.7 ฿1,796

-62.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.66 $43.66

$24.62 ฿823

77.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$90.9 ฿3,036

12.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$71.1 ฿2,378

64.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 $1,101

$455 ฿15.2K

141.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,926 $1,926

$908 ฿30.4K

112.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,369 $3,369

$1,931 ฿64.5K

74.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,369 $3,369

$1,445 ฿48.3K

133.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,167 $8,167

$591 ฿19.7K

1282.21%

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 Los Alamos, NM: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$342 32.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 31.1% $106

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$282 26.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 72.2% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$269 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 64.9% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$127 12%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 15% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 94.3% $24

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 356% $47

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,101 in Los Alamos, NM 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 1282% higher in Los Alamos, NM, 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 $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

00:49 12:49 AM

13 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Los Alamos, NM Chiang Mai 13,380 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
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

Los Alamos, NM vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Alamos, NM costs about 15% 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 $1,589 per month in Los Alamos, NM 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 $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM 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 45% more in Los Alamos, NM, 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 Los Alamos, NM at $1,060. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Alamos, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,060 in Los Alamos, NM. 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, Los Alamos, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.