Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maple Valley, WA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,763 in Maple Valley, WA, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Maple Valley, WA
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Maple Valley, WA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Maple Valley, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,763

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,763 per month in Maple Valley, WA vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maple Valley, WA $2,763
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,973 per month in Maple Valley, WA vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maple Valley, WA $3,973
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,184 per month in Maple Valley, WA vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maple Valley, WA $5,184
Chiang Mai $1,999

Maple Valley, WA costs about 195% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Maple Valley, WA sits 104% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 $17.18

$2.13 ฿71.7

706.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 $80.5

$18.62 ฿625

332.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$5.60 ฿188

86.07%

Cappuccino

$4.73 $4.73

$1.66 ฿55.9

184.94%

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

$0.97 $0.97

$0.65 ฿21.73

49.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.30 ฿10.24

573.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.32 ฿78.0

75.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.67 ฿123

85.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.02 ฿67.7

-49.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.41 ฿47.29

161.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.39 ฿46.75

192.81%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$2.37 ฿79.5

72.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 $13.70

$16.52 ฿555

-17.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.05 $13.05

$2.67 ฿89.7

388.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.83 $29.83

$9.02 ฿303

230.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.40 ฿80.6

122.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.04 ฿34.98

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.66 ฿55.7

152.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.56 ฿52.4

208.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.24 ฿41.57

61.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.09 ฿36.50

123.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.76 ฿25.59

263.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.51 ฿17.27

390.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 $12.50

$4.12 ฿138

203.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.86 $15.86

$17.93 ฿602

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.62 ฿54.5

24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.82 ฿94.8

47.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.93 ฿31.39

96.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$52.9 ฿1,777

12.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.18 ฿39.52

147.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.17 ฿5.76

970.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.74 $27.74

$1.81 ฿60.9

1432.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.47 ฿49.47

-5.44%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

34.57%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

2.13%

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

$119 $119

$62.6 ฿2,101

89.99%

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

$73.7 $73.7

$11.60 ฿390

535.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.5 $88.5

$20.30 ฿682

335.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.69 $40.69

$37.88 ฿1,272

7.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.88 $19.88

$3.70 ฿124

437.30%

Cinema Ticket

$18.13 $18.13

$6.51 ฿219

178.49%

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

$1,441 $1,441

$727 ฿24.4K

98.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-23.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$53.5 ฿1,798

-6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 $56.4

$24.80 ฿833

127.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$90.4 ฿3,036

11.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$72.0 ฿2,418

90.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$481 ฿16.2K

222.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 $1,443

$310 ฿10.4K

365.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$1,058 ฿35.5K

139.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 $2,137

$659 ฿22.1K

224.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,653 $2,653

$2,418 ฿81.2K

9.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,455 $2,455

$1,609 ฿54.0K

52.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.57

19.93%

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

Last update for Maple Valley, WA: 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

Maple Valley, WA

$1.4K 52.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 78.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Maple Valley, WA

$457 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 48.2% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maple Valley, WA

$281 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 66.4% $187

Eating Out

Maple Valley, WA

$271 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 71.8% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Maple Valley, WA

$155 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 30.1% $47

Getting Around

Maple Valley, WA

$79 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 25.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Maple Valley, WA

$77 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 33.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,553 in Maple Valley, WA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Maple Valley, WA 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

🇺🇸 Maple Valley, WA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

16:54 4:54 PM

15 h ahead of Maple Valley, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,013

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Maple Valley, WA Chiang Mai 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Maple Valley, WA
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

Maple Valley, WA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maple Valley, WA costs about 195% 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 $4,145 per month in Maple Valley, WA 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 $1,553 in Maple Valley, WA.

Kindergarten costs $1,441 per month in Maple Valley, WA 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 Maple Valley, WA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,763 in Maple Valley, WA and $935 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 66% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.