Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,262 in Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $27,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

158

Cost of Living Index in Portland, ME
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Portland, ME Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,262

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,262 per month in Portland, ME vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portland, ME $3,262
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,710 per month in Portland, ME vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portland, ME $4,710
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $6,158 per month in Portland, ME vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portland, ME $6,158
Chiang Mai $1,979

Portland, ME costs about 249% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Portland, ME sits 140% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.87 $24.87

$2.24 ฿75.7

1010.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$19.00 ฿642

532.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.86 $14.86

$5.55 ฿188

167.75%

Cappuccino

$6.12 $6.12

$1.67 ฿56.6

266.47%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$0.64 ฿21.56

370.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.31 ฿10.32

696.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.36 ฿79.6

241.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$3.66 ฿124

119.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.95 ฿65.8

-43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.44 ฿48.51

222.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.56 $8.56

$1.33 ฿45.07

543.61%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.28 ฿77.1

71.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.77 $18.77

$16.45 ฿556

14.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 $10.33

$2.78 ฿94.0

271.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$9.31 ฿314

76.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.35 ฿79.5

97.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.97 ฿32.82

75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.60 ฿53.9

265.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.84 $6.84

$1.50 ฿50.7

356.00%

Potato (1kg)

$6.36 $6.36

$1.28 ฿43.15

396.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.10 ฿37.22

245.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.19 $3.19

$0.71 ฿23.84

349.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.49 ฿16.38

418.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$4.14 ฿140

192.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$17.52 ฿592

-14.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.61 ฿54.5

16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.78 ฿94.0

-8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.87 ฿29.33

127.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$54.1 ฿1,827

11.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.16 ฿39.08

74.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.53 ฿17.82

198.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 $10.80

$2.42 ฿81.8

346.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.45 ฿48.93

-28.28%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

30.83%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-3.07%

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

$224 $224

$62.2 ฿2,100

259.92%

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

$69.5 $69.5

$12.17 ฿411

471.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.4 $76.4

$20.12 ฿680

279.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 $51.8

$37.31 ฿1,260

38.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.22 $39.22

$3.77 ฿127

940.32%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 $13.96

$6.49 ฿219

115.10%

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

$1,263 $1,263

$736 ฿24.9K

71.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$53.4 ฿1,802

-1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.2 $81.2

$24.64 ฿832

229.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$91.5 ฿3,089

11.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$71.9 ฿2,429

84.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 $2,102

$482 ฿16.3K

335.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$309 ฿10.4K

451.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 $3,156

$1,006 ฿34.0K

213.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 $2,524

$633 ฿21.4K

298.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,509 $5,509

$2,363 ฿79.8K

133.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,978 $3,978

$1,589 ฿53.7K

150.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,598 $4,598

$590 ฿19.9K

679.68%

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 Portland, ME: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portland, ME

$1.7K 52.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 81.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Portland, ME

$470 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 50.1% $236

Eating Out

Portland, ME

$395 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 80.4% $318

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, ME

$370 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.4% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, ME

$166 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, ME

$80 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36.9% $29

Getting Around

Portland, ME

$78 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,102 in Portland, ME 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 Portland, ME are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Portland, ME versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, ME

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

04:24 4:24 AM

11 h ahead of Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portland, ME Chiang Mai 12,980 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, ME
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

Portland, ME vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portland, ME costs about 249% 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 $4,893 per month in Portland, ME 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 $2,102 in Portland, ME.

Kindergarten costs $1,263 per month in Portland, ME 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 101% more in Portland, ME, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,262 in Portland, ME and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $3,262 in Portland, ME. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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