Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North East, MD and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,506 in North East, MD, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in North East, MD
Learn more

North East, MD Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

North East, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,506

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,506 per month in North East, MD vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

North East, MD $2,506
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,589 per month in North East, MD vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

North East, MD $3,589
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,672 per month in North East, MD vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

North East, MD $4,672
Chiang Mai $1,903

North East, MD costs about 171% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

North East, MD sits 85% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$2.29 ฿76.5

558.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$19.64 ฿656

279.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 $10.23

$5.61 ฿188

82.35%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$1.66 ฿55.6

215.66%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$0.70 ฿23.40

232.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.31 ฿10.24

464.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 $6.90

$2.41 ฿80.4

186.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.71 ฿124

20.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.95 ฿65.3

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.41 ฿47.03

108.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.31 ฿43.62

104.58%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.18 ฿72.9

75.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.38 $9.38

$16.65 ฿556

-43.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 $9.59

$2.76 ฿92.2

247.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 $18.48

$9.11 ฿304

102.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$2.39 ฿80.0

94.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.03 ฿34.26

28.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

166.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.50 ฿50.0

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.29 ฿43.13

98.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.11 ฿37.03

122.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.72 ฿24.08

254.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.53 ฿17.59

237.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 $13.99

$4.31 ฿144

224.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 $14.44

$17.95 ฿600

-19.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.58 ฿52.9

53.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.84 ฿95.0

28.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.86 ฿28.86

162.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.21 ฿40.29

315.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.57 ฿18.99

96.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.07 $23.07

$2.35 ฿78.6

881.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.44 ฿47.96

-27.08%

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

$33.3K $33.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

60.40%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-5.13%

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

$294 $294

$62.3 ฿2,083

371.46%

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

$49.39 $49.39

$12.11 ฿405

307.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 $60.8

$19.94 ฿666

204.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.46 $38.46

$37.07 ฿1,239

3.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$16.64 $16.64

$6.50 ฿217

156.00%

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

$1,948 $1,948

$793 ฿26.5K

145.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K $27.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

87.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.28 $46.28

$53.7 ฿1,796

-13.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.54 $39.54

$24.62 ฿823

60.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$90.9 ฿3,036

-4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$71.1 ฿2,378

84.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,767 $1,767

$455 ฿15.2K

288.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 $1,241

$298 ฿9,954

316.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$908 ฿30.4K

195.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 $1,984

$554 ฿18.5K

258.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$1,931 ฿64.5K

36.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 $2,189

$1,445 ฿48.3K

51.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.57

15.98%

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

Last update for North East, MD: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North East, MD

$1.2K 49.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 76% $943

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North East, MD

$404 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 76.6% $310

Groceries & Markets

North East, MD

$360 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 34.5% $124

Eating Out

North East, MD

$274 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 71.3% $195

Clothing & Footwear

North East, MD

$137 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 20.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

North East, MD

$72 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.2% $22

Getting Around

North East, MD

$20 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 209% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,767 in North East, MD versus $455 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 $75.0 in North East, MD versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North East, MD

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

08:24 8:24 AM

11 h ahead of North East, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

North East, MD Chiang Mai 13,500 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

North East, MD
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

North East, MD vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North East, MD costs about 171% 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 $3,760 per month in North East, MD and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in North East, MD and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in North East, MD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in North East, MD at $2,506. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in North East, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,506 in North East, MD. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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