Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bern, NC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,061 in New Bern, NC, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in New Bern, NC
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New Bern, NC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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New Bern, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,061

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,061 per month in New Bern, NC vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Bern, NC $2,061
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,317 per month in New Bern, NC vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Bern, NC $3,317
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,573 per month in New Bern, NC vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Bern, NC $4,573
Chiang Mai $1,979

New Bern, NC costs about 120% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

New Bern, NC sits 51% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 $18.15

$2.24 ฿75.6

710.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 $86.1

$19.00 ฿641

352.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 $11.90

$5.55 ฿187

114.41%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$1.67 ฿56.5

210.78%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$0.64 ฿21.54

357.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.31 ฿10.31

674.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.36 ฿79.5

155.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.66 ฿124

96.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.95 ฿65.7

-51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.44 ฿48.46

129.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.33 ฿45.03

282.71%

Eggs

$3.41 $3.41

$2.28 ฿77.1

49.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$16.45 ฿555

-20.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.69 $10.69

$2.78 ฿93.9

284.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.17 $15.17

$9.31 ฿314

62.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.35 ฿79.4

123.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$0.97 ฿32.79

34.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.60 ฿53.9

81.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$1.50 ฿50.6

268.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.28 ฿43.11

120.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.10 ฿37.18

159.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.71 ฿23.82

156.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.49 ฿16.36

351.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.14 ฿140

78.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 $12.47

$17.52 ฿591

-28.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.61 ฿54.5

16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.78 ฿93.9

-23.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.16 ฿39.04

193.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.53 ฿17.80

333.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 $32.86

$2.42 ฿81.7

1257.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.45 ฿48.88

-44.14%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

34.30%

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

$23.4K $23.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-13.29%

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

$156 $156

$62.2 ฿2,098

150.72%

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

$71.7 $71.7

$12.17 ฿411

488.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$20.12 ฿679

236.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 $55.6

$37.31 ฿1,259

48.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 $11.18

$6.49 ฿219

72.27%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 $60.5

$53.4 ฿1,801

13.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.32 $35.32

$24.64 ฿831

43.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 $83.9

$91.5 ฿3,087

-8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 $87.7

$71.9 ฿2,427

21.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 $1,153

$482 ฿16.3K

139.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 $869

$309 ฿10.4K

181.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,198 $2,198

$1,006 ฿33.9K

118.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$633 ฿21.4K

191.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,056 $2,056

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-12.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,078 $2,078

$1,589 ฿53.6K

30.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,658 $3,658

$590 ฿19.9K

520.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

5.57

16.88%

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

Last update for New Bern, NC: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Bern, NC

$869 42.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 64.4% $560

Groceries & Markets

New Bern, NC

$374 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.4% $140

Eating Out

New Bern, NC

$309 15%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.9% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bern, NC

$295 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68% $201

Clothing & Footwear

New Bern, NC

$120 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

New Bern, NC

$78 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.5% $28

Getting Around

New Bern, NC

$15 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 312% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,153 in New Bern, NC 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.

Salaries in New Bern, NC are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in New Bern, NC versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bern, NC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

07:09 7:09 AM

12 h ahead of New Bern, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,291

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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New Bern, NC Chiang Mai 14,010 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bern, NC
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 Bern, NC vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Bern, NC costs about 120% 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 $3,091 per month in New Bern, NC 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 $1,153 in New Bern, NC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,061 in New Bern, NC and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 55% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 60% more in New Bern, NC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,061 in New Bern, NC and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,061 in New Bern, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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