Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pomona, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,729 in Pomona, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Pomona, CA
Learn more

Pomona, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Pomona, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,729

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,729 per month in Pomona, CA vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pomona, CA $2,729
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,196 per month in Pomona, CA vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pomona, CA $4,196
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,663 per month in Pomona, CA vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pomona, CA $5,663
Chiang Mai $1,979

Pomona, CA costs about 192% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pomona, CA sits 101% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.85 $27.85

$2.24 ฿75.6

1143.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.0 $75.0

$19.00 ฿641

294.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 $10.03

$5.55 ฿187

80.72%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$1.67 ฿56.5

218.56%

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

$1.71 $1.71

$0.64 ฿21.53

167.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.31 ฿10.30

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.36 ฿79.5

105.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$3.66 ฿124

58.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.95 ฿65.7

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.44 ฿48.45

165.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.33 ฿45.01

121.05%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$2.28 ฿77.0

28.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 $13.71

$16.45 ฿555

-16.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$2.78 ฿93.8

368.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.25 $12.25

$9.31 ฿314

31.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.35 ฿79.4

41.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$0.97 ฿32.78

38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.60 ฿53.9

46.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.50 ฿50.6

48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.28 ฿43.10

38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.10 ฿37.17

56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.71 ฿23.81

59.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.49 ฿16.36

257.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.80 $10.80

$4.14 ฿140

160.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 $13.44

$17.52 ฿591

-23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.61 ฿54.5

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.78 ฿93.9

-0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.87 ฿29.29

164.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.30 $19.30

$54.1 ฿1,825

-64.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.16 ฿39.03

206.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.53 ฿17.79

243.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.44 $24.44

$2.42 ฿81.7

909.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.45 ฿48.87

-6.90%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

44.04%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-3.32%

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

$247 $247

$62.2 ฿2,097

297.49%

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

$60.3 $60.3

$12.17 ฿410

395.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.98 $47.98

$20.12 ฿679

138.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.25 $20.25

$37.31 ฿1,259

-45.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.64 $40.64

$3.77 ฿127

977.98%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$6.49 ฿219

87.67%

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

$557 $557

$736 ฿24.8K

-24.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,257 $8,257

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-44.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.17 $31.17

$53.4 ฿1,800

-41.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 $34.96

$24.64 ฿831

41.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 $72.2

$91.5 ฿3,086

-21.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 $91.4

$71.9 ฿2,426

27.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 $1,927

$482 ฿16.3K

299.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 $1,482

$309 ฿10.4K

379.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,482 $3,482

$1,006 ฿33.9K

246.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,898 $2,898

$633 ฿21.4K

357.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.2K $19.2K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

711.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,453 $4,453

$1,589 ฿53.6K

180.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,623 $3,623

$590 ฿19.9K

514.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for Pomona, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pomona, CA

$1.5K 54.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 79.2% $1.2K

Eating Out

Pomona, CA

$365 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 78.7% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pomona, CA

$355 13%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.4% $261

Groceries & Markets

Pomona, CA

$337 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Pomona, CA

$103 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.1% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Pomona, CA

$45 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.7% $5.7

Getting Around

Pomona, CA

$41 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 49.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,927 in Pomona, 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 Pomona, CA are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Pomona, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Pomona, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

06:39 6:39 AM

15 h ahead of Pomona, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,271

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pomona, CA Chiang Mai 12,970 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Pomona, 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

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

Pomona, CA costs about 192% 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 $4,094 per month in Pomona, 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 $1,927 in Pomona, CA.

Kindergarten costs $557 per month in Pomona, CA 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 44% more in Pomona, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,729 in Pomona, CA 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 $2,729 in Pomona, CA. 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, Pomona, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.