Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Merced, CA is 86.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 193.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Merced, CA is 87.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 162.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$2.03 ฿64.2

874.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.33 $39.33

$18.59 ฿588

111.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 $11.36

$7.48 ฿237

51.87%

Cappuccino

$5.76 $5.76

$2.00 ฿63.2

188.00%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$0.85 ฿26.81

257.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.35 ฿11.13

482.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.79 $8.79

$2.21 ฿70.0

297.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$3.76 ฿119

163.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.72 ฿54.4

-30.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.63 ฿51.7

72.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.16 ฿36.66

183.62%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$1.98 ฿62.6

146.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$15.93 ฿504

-32.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.26 $15.26

$3.17 ฿100

381.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.83 $17.83

$10.90 ฿345

63.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.65 ฿83.7

120.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.22 ฿38.70

100.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.70 ฿53.7

-10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.59 ฿50.3

183.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.32 ฿41.90

59.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.17 ฿36.99

190.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.68 ฿21.46

48.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.56 ฿17.64

414.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.92 $9.92

$4.51 ฿143

119.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$19.07 ฿604

-21.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.77 ฿56.0

27.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$3.18 ฿101

5.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.96 ฿30.47

53.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$18.90 ฿598

221.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.36 ฿42.98

116.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.35 ฿42.80

22.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.32 $27.32

$8.03 ฿254

240.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.24 ฿39.34

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$21.2K ฿669.8K

41.61%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$21.8K ฿688.5K

22.14%

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

$273 $273

$71.2 ฿2,255

283.44%

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

$34.81 $34.81

$14.09 ฿446

147.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$17.47 ฿553

295.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 $33.92

$42.07 ฿1,332

-19.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.81 $13.81

$6.88 ฿218

100.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.41 $15.41

$5.94 ฿188

159.43%

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

$1,931 $1,931

$307 ฿9,728

528.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K $25.7K

$14.8K ฿468.2K

73.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$55.7 ฿1,762

-4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.62 $43.62

$26.79 ฿848

62.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 $89.3

$83.2 ฿2,634

7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$70.1 ฿2,219

94.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,597 $1,597

$427 ฿13.5K

273.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 $1,100

$237 ฿7,504

364.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,033 $2,033

$802 ฿25.4K

153.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,919 $1,919

$503 ฿15.9K

281.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,842 $2,842

$2,061 ฿65.2K

37.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,936 $2,936

$1,533 ฿48.5K

91.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,311 $3,311

$654 ฿20.7K

406.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

27.20%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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