Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ridgewood, NJ and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,684 in Ridgewood, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Ridgewood, NJ
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Ridgewood, NJ Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ridgewood, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,684

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,684 per month in Ridgewood, NJ vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ridgewood, NJ $2,684
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,918 per month in Ridgewood, NJ vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ridgewood, NJ $3,918
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,153 per month in Ridgewood, NJ vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ridgewood, NJ $5,153
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ridgewood, NJ costs about 187% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ridgewood, NJ sits 97% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.25 $18.25

$2.24 ฿75.5

714.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$19.00 ฿640

288.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$5.55 ฿187

119.10%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$1.67 ฿56.4

215.57%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$0.64 ฿21.51

292.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.31 ฿10.29

541.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$2.36 ฿79.5

193.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$3.66 ฿123

114.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.95 ฿65.7

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$1.44 ฿48.41

154.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.33 ฿44.97

236.09%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$2.28 ฿77.0

52.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 $15.60

$16.45 ฿554

-5.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$2.78 ฿93.8

178.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 $10.93

$9.31 ฿314

17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.35 ฿79.3

130.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.97 ฿32.75

77.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.60 ฿53.8

180.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 $6.03

$1.50 ฿50.6

302.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.28 ฿43.06

222.66%

Onion (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.10 ฿37.14

298.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.71 ฿23.79

270.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.49 ฿16.34

424.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.19 $12.19

$4.14 ฿140

194.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$17.52 ฿590

-15.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.61 ฿54.4

64.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.78 ฿93.8

21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.87 ฿29.27

144.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$54.1 ฿1,823

12.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.16 ฿39.00

160.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.53 ฿17.78

132.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$2.42 ฿81.6

1607.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.45 ฿48.82

-28.97%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

42.17%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-3.50%

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

$248 $248

$62.2 ฿2,095

298.29%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$12.17 ฿410

394.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.0 $62.0

$20.12 ฿678

208.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.12 $40.12

$37.31 ฿1,257

7.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.39 $39.39

$3.77 ฿127

944.83%

Cinema Ticket

$18.77 $18.77

$6.49 ฿219

189.21%

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

$3,036 $3,036

$736 ฿24.8K

312.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K $33.7K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

128.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 $67.4

$53.4 ฿1,799

26.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 $56.0

$24.64 ฿830

127.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 $83.6

$91.5 ฿3,083

-8.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$71.9 ฿2,424

57.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$482 ฿16.3K

229.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 $1,298

$309 ฿10.4K

320.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,559 $2,559

$1,006 ฿33.9K

154.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,140 $2,140

$633 ฿21.3K

237.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,701 $2,701

$2,363 ฿79.6K

14.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,327 $2,327

$1,589 ฿53.6K

46.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,931 $4,931

$590 ฿19.9K

736.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Ridgewood, NJ: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ridgewood, NJ

$1.3K 48.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 76.2% $989

Groceries & Markets

Ridgewood, NJ

$401 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 41.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ridgewood, NJ

$370 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.5% $275

Eating Out

Ridgewood, NJ

$314 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.3% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Ridgewood, NJ

$144 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.6% $35

Getting Around

Ridgewood, NJ

$78 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ridgewood, NJ

$78 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Ridgewood, NJ 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 Ridgewood, NJ are about 8.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Ridgewood, NJ versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ridgewood, NJ

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

08:29 8:29 AM

11 h ahead of Ridgewood, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,272

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ridgewood, NJ Chiang Mai 13,330 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ridgewood, NJ
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

Ridgewood, NJ vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ridgewood, NJ costs about 187% 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 $4,025 per month in Ridgewood, NJ 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 $1,589 in Ridgewood, NJ.

Kindergarten costs $3,036 per month in Ridgewood, NJ 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 71% more in Ridgewood, NJ, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,684 in Ridgewood, NJ 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, Ridgewood, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.