Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newport Beach, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $5,160 in Newport Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $50,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

248

Cost of Living Index in Newport Beach, CA
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Newport Beach, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Newport Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$5,160

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,160 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $5,160
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $7,319 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $7,319
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $9,477 per month in Newport Beach, CA vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newport Beach, CA $9,477
Chiang Mai $1,979

Newport Beach, CA costs about 452% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Newport Beach, CA sits 279% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.79 $24.79

$2.24 ฿75.5

1006.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.1 $98.1

$19.00 ฿640

416.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.86 $14.86

$5.55 ฿187

167.75%

Cappuccino

$5.72 $5.72

$1.67 ฿56.4

242.51%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$0.64 ฿21.51

371.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.31 ฿10.29

677.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.31 $7.31

$2.36 ฿79.5

209.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 $9.54

$3.66 ฿123

160.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.95 ฿65.7

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$5.67 $5.67

$1.44 ฿48.41

293.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.33 ฿44.97

217.29%

Eggs

$5.12 $5.12

$2.28 ฿77.0

124.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$16.45 ฿554

-25.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.71 $8.71

$2.78 ฿93.8

213.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.03 $14.03

$9.31 ฿314

50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.35 ฿79.3

95.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.97 ฿32.75

75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.60 ฿53.8

146.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$1.50 ฿50.6

282.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.28 ฿43.06

182.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.10 ฿37.14

179.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.71 ฿23.79

197.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.49 ฿16.34

367.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.62 $11.62

$4.14 ฿140

180.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$17.52 ฿590

-14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.61 ฿54.4

8.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.78 ฿93.8

11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.16 ฿39.00

296.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.53 ฿17.78

243.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.58 $36.58

$2.42 ฿81.6

1411.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.45 ฿48.82

5.52%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

32.00%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-3.89%

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

$217 $217

$62.2 ฿2,095

249.70%

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

$80.8 $80.8

$12.17 ฿410

564.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$20.12 ฿678

241.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$117 $117

$37.31 ฿1,257

214.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.41 $28.41

$3.77 ฿127

653.58%

Cinema Ticket

$20.06 $20.06

$6.49 ฿219

209.09%

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

$1,746 $1,746

$736 ฿24.8K

137.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

147.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$53.4 ฿1,799

16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.38 $41.38

$24.64 ฿830

67.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 $79.4

$91.5 ฿3,083

-13.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$71.9 ฿2,424

44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,338 $4,338

$482 ฿16.3K

799.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,700 $3,700

$309 ฿10.4K

1097.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,186 $7,186

$1,006 ฿33.9K

614.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,170 $6,170

$633 ฿21.3K

874.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K $16.2K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

583.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.0K $16.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

904.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,237 $6,237

$590 ฿19.9K

957.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Newport Beach, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newport Beach, CA

$3.7K 71.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 91.7% $3.4K

Groceries & Markets

Newport Beach, CA

$404 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 42% $170

Eating Out

Newport Beach, CA

$389 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 80% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newport Beach, CA

$367 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.3% $273

Sport & Entertainment

Newport Beach, CA

$157 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 68.1% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Newport Beach, CA

$129 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 16% $21

Getting Around

Newport Beach, CA

$14 * 0.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 348% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,338 in Newport Beach, CA 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 Newport Beach, CA are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Newport Beach, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newport Beach, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

14 h ahead of Newport Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,186

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Newport Beach, CA Chiang Mai 13,000 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Newport Beach, CA
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

Newport Beach, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newport Beach, CA costs about 452% 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 $7,740 per month in Newport Beach, CA 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 $4,338 in Newport Beach, CA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Newport Beach, CA 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 72% more in Newport Beach, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $5,160 in Newport Beach, CA 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.

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, Newport Beach, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.