Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,774 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,774

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,774 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $2,774
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,848 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $3,848
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,921 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $4,921
Chiang Mai $1,999

New Bedford, MA costs about 197% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New Bedford, MA sits 105% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 $19.61

$2.13 ฿71.7

820.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$18.62 ฿625

224.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 $5.83

$5.60 ฿188

4.11%

Cappuccino

$3.89 $3.89

$1.66 ฿55.9

134.34%

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

$2.26 $2.26

$0.65 ฿21.73

247.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.30 ฿10.24

330.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.32 ฿78.0

157.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.67 ฿123

6.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.02 ฿67.7

-48.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.41 ฿47.29

217.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.29 $16.29

$1.39 ฿46.75

1071.94%

Eggs

$6.47 $6.47

$2.37 ฿79.5

173.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 $10.42

$16.52 ฿555

-36.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 $10.47

$2.67 ฿89.7

292.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.43 $19.43

$9.02 ฿303

115.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.40 ฿80.6

126.67%

Banana (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$1.04 ฿34.98

314.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.66 ฿55.7

100.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.56 ฿52.4

101.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.24 ฿41.57

80.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.09 ฿36.50

119.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.76 ฿25.59

246.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.51 ฿17.27

452.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.74 $12.74

$4.12 ฿138

209.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.07 $17.07

$17.93 ฿602

-4.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.62 ฿54.5

11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.82 ฿94.8

-2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.18 ฿39.52

214.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.17 ฿5.76

1188.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.09 $48.09

$1.81 ฿60.9

2556.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 ฿49.47

-26.53%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

30.04%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-0.85%

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

$196 $196

$62.6 ฿2,101

212.87%

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

$37.66 $37.66

$11.60 ฿390

224.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 $61.1

$20.30 ฿682

200.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.22 $29.22

$37.88 ฿1,272

-22.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 $12.30

$6.51 ฿219

88.94%

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

$2,163 $2,163

$727 ฿24.4K

197.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.0K $34.0K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

105.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.99 $37.99

$53.5 ฿1,798

-29.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.41 $16.41

$24.80 ฿833

-33.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$90.4 ฿3,036

9.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 $1,798

$481 ฿16.2K

273.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 $1,594

$310 ฿10.4K

414.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,647 $2,647

$1,058 ฿35.5K

150.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,369 $2,369

$659 ฿22.1K

259.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,565 $4,565

$595 ฿20.0K

667.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.42

5.57

-2.69%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 80.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

New Bedford, MA

$475 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 50.2% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bedford, MA

$294 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.9% $200

Eating Out

New Bedford, MA

$273 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 71.9% $196

Clothing & Footwear

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 57.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

New Bedford, MA

$54 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 5.4% $2.9

Getting Around

New Bedford, MA

$15 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 301% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,798 in New Bedford, 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.

Salaries in New Bedford, MA are about 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in New Bedford, MA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $475 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

10:41 10:41 AM

12 h ahead of New Bedford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,538

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Bedford, MA Chiang Mai 13,220 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bedford, 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

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

New Bedford, MA costs about 197% 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 $4,161 per month in New Bedford, 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 $1,798 in New Bedford, MA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in New Bedford, MA 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 101% more in New Bedford, MA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,774 in New Bedford, 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.

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