Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middletown, NJ and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,647 in Middletown, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Middletown, NJ
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Middletown, NJ Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Middletown, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,647

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,647 per month in Middletown, NJ vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middletown, NJ $2,647
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,949 per month in Middletown, NJ vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middletown, NJ $3,949
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,251 per month in Middletown, NJ vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middletown, NJ $5,251
Chiang Mai $1,999

Middletown, NJ costs about 183% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Middletown, NJ sits 96% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 $19.84

$2.13 ฿71.8

831.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 $104

$18.62 ฿626

459.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 $12.20

$5.60 ฿188

117.86%

Cappuccino

$5.52 $5.52

$1.66 ฿55.9

232.53%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$0.65 ฿21.75

306.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.30 ฿10.25

683.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 $6.42

$2.32 ฿78.1

176.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.05 $9.05

$3.67 ฿123

146.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.02 ฿67.8

-34.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.41 ฿47.34

152.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.39 ฿46.79

287.77%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.37 ฿79.6

64.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.20 $13.20

$16.52 ฿555

-20.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$2.67 ฿89.8

151.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$9.02 ฿303

47.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.40 ฿80.6

41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.04 ฿35.01

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.66 ฿55.8

61.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.56 ฿52.4

176.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.24 ฿41.61

30.65%

Onion (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.09 ฿36.53

297.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.76 ฿25.61

236.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.51 ฿17.29

382.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.12 ฿139

121.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 $20.15

$17.93 ฿603

12.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.62 ฿54.6

72.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.82 ฿94.9

19.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.93 ฿31.42

135.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.6 $65.6

$52.9 ฿1,778

24.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.18 ฿39.56

155.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.17 ฿5.76

1164.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.59 $42.59

$1.81 ฿60.9

2253.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.47 ฿49.51

-21.77%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

48.81%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-3.84%

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

$224 $224

$62.6 ฿2,103

257.59%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$11.60 ฿390

423.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$20.30 ฿683

201.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.02 $36.02

$37.88 ฿1,274

-4.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$19.85 $19.85

$6.51 ฿219

204.92%

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

$3,074 $3,074

$727 ฿24.4K

322.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

25.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 $70.4

$53.5 ฿1,800

31.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.1 $76.1

$24.80 ฿834

206.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$90.4 ฿3,039

34.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$72.0 ฿2,420

69.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$481 ฿16.2K

222.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$310 ฿10.4K

305.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,518 $2,518

$1,058 ฿35.6K

137.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$659 ฿22.1K

219.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,933 $2,933

$2,418 ฿81.3K

21.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,558 $2,558

$1,609 ฿54.1K

59.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,066 $3,066

$595 ฿20.0K

415.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

5.57

21.72%

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

Last update for Middletown, NJ: 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

Middletown, NJ

$1.3K 47.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 75.4% $948

Groceries & Markets

Middletown, NJ

$372 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 36.4% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middletown, NJ

$346 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72.7% $251

Eating Out

Middletown, NJ

$332 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 76.9% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Middletown, NJ

$175 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 38.2% $67

Getting Around

Middletown, NJ

$88 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 33.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Middletown, NJ

$76 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 32.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,553 in Middletown, NJ 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 Middletown, NJ are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Middletown, NJ versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Middletown, NJ

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

14:45 2:45 PM

12 h ahead of Middletown, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,812

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Middletown, NJ Chiang Mai 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Middletown, NJ
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

Middletown, NJ vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Middletown, NJ costs about 183% 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 $3,970 per month in Middletown, NJ 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 Middletown, NJ.

Kindergarten costs $3,074 per month in Middletown, NJ 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 57% more in Middletown, NJ, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,647 in Middletown, NJ 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.

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