Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pago Pago and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,477 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
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Pago Pago Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,477

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,477 per month in Pago Pago vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pago Pago $1,477
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,274 per month in Pago Pago vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pago Pago $2,274
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,071 per month in Pago Pago vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pago Pago $3,071
Chiang Mai $1,979

Pago Pago costs about 58% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pago Pago sits 9% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 $35.62

$19.00 ฿642

87.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 $9.90

$5.55 ฿188

78.38%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.31 ฿10.32

216.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.66 ฿124

7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.95 ฿65.8

29.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.44 ฿48.51

97.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.33 ฿45.07

215.04%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.28 ฿77.1

103.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.13 $10.13

$16.45 ฿556

-38.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 $9.98

$2.78 ฿94.0

258.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$9.31 ฿314

24.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.35 ฿79.5

150.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.97 ฿32.82

1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.60 ฿53.9

83.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.50 ฿50.7

162.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.28 ฿43.15

207.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.10 ฿37.22

260.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.71 ฿23.84

187.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.49 ฿16.38

302.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.66 $11.66

$4.14 ฿140

181.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$17.52 ฿592

-15.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.61 ฿54.5

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.78 ฿94.0

3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.87 ฿29.33

135.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$125 $125

$54.1 ฿1,827

130.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.16 ฿39.08

342.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.53 ฿17.82

284.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.67 $29.67

$2.42 ฿81.8

1126.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.45 ฿48.93

-11.03%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

43.86%

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

$20.0K $20.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-25.64%

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

$415 $415

$62.2 ฿2,100

567.56%

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

$29.55 $29.55

$12.17 ฿411

142.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 $75.9

$20.12 ฿680

277.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.77 $49.77

$37.31 ฿1,260

33.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.03 $10.03

$3.77 ฿127

166.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 $8.84

$6.49 ฿219

36.21%

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

$984 $984

$736 ฿24.9K

33.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,831 $9,831

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-33.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 $70.8

$53.4 ฿1,802

32.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.70 $49.70

$24.64 ฿832

101.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 $78.7

$91.5 ฿3,089

-13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 $98.7

$71.9 ฿2,429

37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 $327

$482 ฿16.3K

-32.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 $203

$309 ฿10.4K

-34.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 $911

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-9.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 $691

$633 ฿21.4K

9.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

671.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

585.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,183 $1,183

$590 ฿19.9K

100.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Pago Pago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pago Pago

$520 35.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 81.9% $426

Groceries & Markets

Pago Pago

$363 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.4% $128

Accommodation & Living

Pago Pago

$203 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 52.3% $106

Getting Around

Pago Pago

$148 10%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 58.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Pago Pago

$134 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Pago Pago

$67 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 25.5% $17

Eating Out

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 86.9% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $327 in Pago Pago 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 Pago Pago are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pago Pago versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

18:59 6:59 PM

18 h ahead of Pago Pago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,500 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pago Pago Chiang Mai 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Pago Pago
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

Pago Pago vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pago Pago costs about 58% 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 $2,216 per month in Pago Pago 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 Pago Pago, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $327 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $984 per month in Pago Pago and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Pago Pago, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,477 in Pago Pago 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 $1,477 in Pago Pago. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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