Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monticello, AR and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,381 in Monticello, AR, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Monticello, AR
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Monticello, AR Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Monticello, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,381

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,381 per month in Monticello, AR vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monticello, AR $2,381
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,611 per month in Monticello, AR vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monticello, AR $3,611
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,841 per month in Monticello, AR vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monticello, AR $4,841
Chiang Mai $1,979

Monticello, AR costs about 154% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monticello, AR sits 75% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.32 $18.32

$2.24 ฿75.5

717.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$19.00 ฿640

301.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$5.55 ฿187

116.76%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$1.67 ฿56.4

241.92%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$0.64 ฿21.51

285.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.31 ฿10.29

564.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 $6.99

$2.36 ฿79.5

196.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$3.66 ฿123

113.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.95 ฿65.7

-53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.44 ฿48.41

-20.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.33 ฿44.97

50.38%

Eggs

$3.84 $3.84

$2.28 ฿77.0

68.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 $8.81

$16.45 ฿554

-46.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$2.78 ฿93.8

138.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.72 $8.72

$9.31 ฿314

-6.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.35 ฿79.3

46.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$0.97 ฿32.75

35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.60 ฿53.8

76.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.50 ฿50.6

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.28 ฿43.06

143.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.10 ฿37.14

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.71 ฿23.79

171.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.49 ฿16.34

332.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 $9.28

$4.14 ฿140

124.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$17.52 ฿590

-25.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.61 ฿54.4

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.78 ฿93.8

-43.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.87 ฿29.27

162.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 $53.8

$54.1 ฿1,823

-0.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.16 ฿39.00

68.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$0.53 ฿17.78

160.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.10 $20.10

$2.42 ฿81.6

730.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.45 ฿48.82

-30.34%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

34.74%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

2.46%

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

$189 $189

$62.2 ฿2,095

204.46%

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

$39.87 $39.87

$12.17 ฿410

227.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.51 $45.51

$20.12 ฿678

126.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.23 $39.23

$37.31 ฿1,257

5.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 $10.99

$6.49 ฿219

69.34%

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

$1,184 $1,184

$736 ฿24.8K

60.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

70.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.94 $23.94

$53.4 ฿1,799

-55.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.95 $32.95

$24.64 ฿830

33.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 $69.0

$91.5 ฿3,083

-24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$71.9 ฿2,424

113.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 $1,560

$482 ฿16.3K

223.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$309 ฿10.4K

309.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,548 $2,548

$1,006 ฿33.9K

153.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 $2,362

$633 ฿21.3K

272.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,594 $2,594

$2,363 ฿79.6K

9.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,401 $2,401

$1,589 ฿53.6K

51.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

5.57

18.49%

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

Last update for Monticello, AR: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monticello, AR

$1.3K 53.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 75.6% $957

Eating Out

Monticello, AR

$320 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.7% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monticello, AR

$275 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.6% $180

Groceries & Markets

Monticello, AR

$262 11%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 10.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Monticello, AR

$126 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 13.5% $17

Getting Around

Monticello, AR

$72 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 14.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Monticello, AR

$61 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,560 in Monticello, AR versus $482 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 $76 in Monticello, AR versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monticello, AR

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

09:16 9:16 AM

12 h ahead of Monticello, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,414

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monticello, AR Chiang Mai 14,080 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Monticello, AR
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

Monticello, AR vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monticello, AR costs about 154% 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 $3,571 per month in Monticello, AR 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 $482 there versus $1,560 in Monticello, AR.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Monticello, AR and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Monticello, AR, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,381 in Monticello, AR and $936 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.