Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newark, NJ and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,865 in Newark, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Newark, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,865 per month in Newark, NJ vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newark, NJ $2,865
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $4,206 per month in Newark, NJ vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newark, NJ $4,206
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,546 per month in Newark, NJ vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newark, NJ $5,546
Chiang Mai $1,999

Newark, NJ costs about 206% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Newark, NJ sits 112% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$2.13 ฿71.7

853.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$18.62 ฿625

445.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.46 $14.46

$5.60 ฿188

158.21%

Cappuccino

$6.68 $6.68

$1.66 ฿55.9

302.41%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$0.65 ฿21.73

493.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.30 ฿10.24

720.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.32 ฿78.0

239.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$3.67 ฿123

170.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.02 ฿67.7

-32.18%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.41 ฿47.29

226.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.73 $7.73

$1.39 ฿46.75

456.12%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$2.37 ฿79.5

153.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$16.52 ฿555

-57.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.01 $18.01

$2.67 ฿89.7

574.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 $20.84

$9.02 ฿303

131.04%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$2.40 ฿80.6

195.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.04 ฿34.98

120.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.66 ฿55.7

309.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$1.56 ฿52.4

332.05%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.24 ฿41.57

271.77%

Onion (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$1.09 ฿36.50

345.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.76 ฿25.59

294.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.51 ฿17.27

435.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 $11.46

$4.12 ฿138

178.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.68 $19.68

$17.93 ฿602

9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.62 ฿54.5

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.82 ฿94.8

-1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.93 ฿31.39

105.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 $72.0

$52.9 ฿1,777

36.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.18 ฿39.52

161.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.17 ฿5.76

1200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.70 $38.70

$1.81 ฿60.9

2038.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 ฿49.47

-26.53%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

32.87%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-2.91%

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

$217 $217

$62.6 ฿2,101

246.95%

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

$71.6 $71.6

$11.60 ฿390

517.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$20.30 ฿682

245.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.28 $15.28

$37.88 ฿1,272

-59.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 $17.46

$3.70 ฿124

371.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.59 $14.59

$6.51 ฿219

124.12%

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

$2,155 $2,155

$727 ฿24.4K

196.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.9K $33.9K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

104.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 $59.3

$53.5 ฿1,798

10.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.50 $27.50

$24.80 ฿833

10.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$90.4 ฿3,036

32.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$72.0 ฿2,418

90.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$481 ฿16.2K

417.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$310 ฿10.4K

326.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,273 $3,273

$1,058 ฿35.5K

209.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$659 ฿22.1K

207.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 $4,190

$2,418 ฿81.2K

73.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 $3,612

$1,609 ฿54.0K

124.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,912 $3,912

$595 ฿20.0K

557.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

5.57

19.93%

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

Last update for Newark, 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

Newark, NJ

$1.3K 46.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 76.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Newark, NJ

$521 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 54.6% $284

Eating Out

Newark, NJ

$371 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 79.3% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newark, NJ

$359 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.7% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Newark, NJ

$155 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 30% $46

Getting Around

Newark, NJ

$94 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 37.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Newark, NJ

$44 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 14.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,489 in Newark, 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 Newark, NJ are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Newark, NJ versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $521 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newark, NJ

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

20:10 8:10 PM

12 h ahead of Newark, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,549

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Newark, NJ Chiang Mai 13,360 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Newark, 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

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

Newark, NJ costs about 206% 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 $4,297 per month in Newark, 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 $2,489 in Newark, NJ.

Kindergarten costs $2,155 per month in Newark, 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 120% more in Newark, NJ, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,865 in Newark, 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.

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