Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Russellville, AR and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,562 in Russellville, AR, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Russellville, AR
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Russellville, AR Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Russellville, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,562

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,562 per month in Russellville, AR vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Russellville, AR $2,562
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,615 per month in Russellville, AR vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Russellville, AR $3,615
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,668 per month in Russellville, AR vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Russellville, AR $4,668
Chiang Mai $1,999

Russellville, AR costs about 174% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Russellville, AR sits 90% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.29 $16.29

$2.13 ฿71.7

664.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.94 $36.94

$18.62 ฿625

98.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 $9.92

$5.60 ฿188

77.14%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$1.66 ฿55.9

195.78%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$0.65 ฿21.73

252.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.30 ฿10.24

473.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.32 ฿78.0

109.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$3.67 ฿123

95.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.02 ฿67.7

-45.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.41 ฿47.29

44.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$1.39 ฿46.75

300.00%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.37 ฿79.5

75.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.10 $15.10

$16.52 ฿555

-8.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.34 $12.34

$2.67 ฿89.7

362.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 $14.88

$9.02 ฿303

64.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.40 ฿80.6

77.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.04 ฿34.98

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.66 ฿55.7

116.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.56 ฿52.4

129.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.24 ฿41.57

117.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.09 ฿36.50

166.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.76 ฿25.59

94.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.51 ฿17.27

333.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.90 $8.90

$4.12 ฿138

116.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.61 $13.61

$17.93 ฿602

-24.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.62 ฿54.5

17.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.82 ฿94.8

70.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.93 ฿31.39

136.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 $59.5

$52.9 ฿1,777

12.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.18 ฿39.52

72.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.17 ฿5.76

617.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.20 $24.20

$1.81 ฿60.9

1237.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 ฿49.47

-33.33%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

27.79%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-1.16%

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

$238 $238

$62.6 ฿2,101

279.89%

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

$54.2 $54.2

$11.60 ฿390

366.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.7 $62.7

$20.30 ฿682

209.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.65 $35.65

$37.88 ฿1,272

-5.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 $9.85

$6.51 ฿219

51.31%

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

$1,168 $1,168

$727 ฿24.4K

60.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

25.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.01 $42.01

$53.5 ฿1,798

-21.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.95 $29.95

$24.80 ฿833

20.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$90.4 ฿3,036

26.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 $98.8

$72.0 ฿2,418

37.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 $722

$481 ฿16.2K

49.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$310 ฿10.4K

318.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-1.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,109 $2,109

$659 ฿22.1K

220.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,553 $1,553

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-35.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,545 $1,545

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-3.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,658 $2,658

$595 ฿20.0K

346.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.72%

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

Last update for Russellville, AR: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Russellville, AR

$1.3K 50.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 76.1% $987

Groceries & Markets

Russellville, AR

$377 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 37.2% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Russellville, AR

$355 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.4% $260

Eating Out

Russellville, AR

$274 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 72% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Russellville, AR

$128 5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 15.6% $20

Getting Around

Russellville, AR

$76 3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 23.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Russellville, AR

$55 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 8% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $722 in Russellville, AR versus $481 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 Russellville, AR are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Russellville, AR versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Russellville, AR

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

09:11 9:11 AM

13 h ahead of Russellville, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,014

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Russellville, AR Chiang Mai 13,870 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Russellville, AR
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

Russellville, AR vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Russellville, AR costs about 174% 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 $3,843 per month in Russellville, AR 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 $481 there versus $722 in Russellville, AR.

Kindergarten costs $1,168 per month in Russellville, AR and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Russellville, AR, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,562 in Russellville, AR and $935 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.

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