Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, MA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,043 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Medford, MA
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Medford, MA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Medford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,043

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,043 per month in Medford, MA vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medford, MA $3,043
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $4,134 per month in Medford, MA vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medford, MA $4,134
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,225 per month in Medford, MA vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Medford, MA $5,225
Chiang Mai $1,999

Medford, MA costs about 225% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medford, MA sits 125% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 $17.41

$2.13 ฿71.7

717.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.9 $92.9

$18.62 ฿625

398.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$5.60 ฿188

116.96%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$1.66 ฿55.9

222.29%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$0.65 ฿21.73

341.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.30 ฿10.24

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 $8.04

$2.32 ฿78.0

246.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$3.67 ฿123

111.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.02 ฿67.7

-46.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.41 ฿47.29

170.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.39 ฿46.75

296.40%

Eggs

$4.66 $4.66

$2.37 ฿79.5

96.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$16.52 ฿555

-32.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$2.67 ฿89.7

423.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 $17.86

$9.02 ฿303

98.00%

Apples (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$2.40 ฿80.6

185.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.04 ฿34.98

74.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.66 ฿55.7

231.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$1.56 ฿52.4

262.82%

Potato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.24 ฿41.57

256.45%

Onion (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.09 ฿36.50

269.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.76 ฿25.59

198.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.51 ฿17.27

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.36 $13.36

$4.12 ฿138

224.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 $13.78

$17.93 ฿602

-23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.62 ฿54.5

32.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.82 ฿94.8

40.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.93 ฿31.39

165.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$52.9 ฿1,777

11.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.18 ฿39.52

121.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.17 ฿5.76

917.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 $27.77

$1.81 ฿60.9

1434.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 ฿49.47

-26.53%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

28.84%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

0.54%

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

$236 $236

$62.6 ฿2,101

277.30%

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

$55.8 $55.8

$11.60 ฿390

380.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.7 $81.7

$20.30 ฿682

302.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.97 $42.97

$37.88 ฿1,272

13.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 $14.12

$6.51 ฿219

116.90%

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

$1,849 $1,849

$727 ฿24.4K

154.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.9K $44.9K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

170.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$53.5 ฿1,798

4.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 $37.57

$24.80 ฿833

51.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 $80.8

$90.4 ฿3,036

-10.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$72.0 ฿2,418

40.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$481 ฿16.2K

222.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,647 $1,647

$310 ฿10.4K

431.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,594 $2,594

$1,058 ฿35.5K

145.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 $2,116

$659 ฿22.1K

221.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,788 $2,788

$2,418 ฿81.2K

15.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 $2,298

$1,609 ฿54.0K

42.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.57

19.21%

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

Last update for Medford, MA: 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

Medford, MA

$1.6K 54.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 81.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Medford, MA

$431 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 45.1% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medford, MA

$373 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.7% $279

Eating Out

Medford, MA

$317 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 75.9% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Medford, MA

$124 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 12.5% $16

Getting Around

Medford, MA

$80 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 26.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Medford, MA

$71 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 28.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,554 in Medford, MA 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 $93 in Medford, MA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Medford, MA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

12 h ahead of Medford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,173

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medford, MA Chiang Mai 13,130 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medford, MA
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

Medford, MA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medford, MA costs about 225% 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 $4,565 per month in Medford, MA 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 $1,554 in Medford, MA.

Kindergarten costs $1,849 per month in Medford, MA 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 82% more in Medford, MA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,043 in Medford, MA 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 69% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.