Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salt Lake City, UT and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,673 in Salt Lake City, UT, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Salt Lake City, UT
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Salt Lake City, UT Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Salt Lake City, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,673

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,673 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $2,673
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,881 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $3,881
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,090 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $5,090
Chiang Mai $1,999

Salt Lake City, UT costs about 186% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Salt Lake City, UT sits 98% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.80 $17.80

$2.13 ฿71.6

735.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$18.62 ฿625

295.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 $9.93

$5.60 ฿188

77.32%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$1.66 ฿55.8

202.41%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$0.65 ฿21.70

241.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.30 ฿10.23

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.32 ฿77.9

160.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.15 $8.15

$3.67 ฿123

122.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.02 ฿67.6

-53.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.41 ฿47.24

173.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.39 ฿46.69

187.77%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.37 ฿79.4

74.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$16.52 ฿554

-29.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.16 $12.16

$2.67 ฿89.6

355.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$9.02 ฿303

95.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.40 ฿80.5

67.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.04 ฿34.93

32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.66 ฿55.7

115.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.56 ฿52.3

157.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.24 ฿41.52

86.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.09 ฿36.46

128.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.76 ฿25.56

144.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.51 ฿17.25

268.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.31 $10.31

$4.12 ฿138

150.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$17.93 ฿602

-17.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.62 ฿54.5

70.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.82 ฿94.7

15.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.93 ฿31.35

175.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.3 $85.3

$52.9 ฿1,775

61.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.18 ฿39.48

110.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.17 ฿5.75

1270.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.70 $24.70

$1.81 ฿60.8

1264.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.47 ฿49.41

-22.45%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.0K ฿705.0K

66.81%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$26.5K ฿889.6K

0.03%

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

$200 $200

$62.6 ฿2,099

220.40%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$11.60 ฿389

346.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$20.30 ฿681

312.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 $34.23

$37.88 ฿1,271

-9.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.29 $27.29

$3.70 ฿124

637.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 $14.87

$6.51 ฿218

128.42%

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

$1,338 $1,338

$727 ฿24.4K

84.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$16.6K ฿556.1K

58.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$53.5 ฿1,796

32.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 $45.73

$24.80 ฿832

84.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$90.4 ฿3,032

23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$72.0 ฿2,415

50.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 $1,556

$481 ฿16.1K

223.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 $1,334

$310 ฿10.4K

330.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,741 $2,741

$1,058 ฿35.5K

158.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 $2,149

$659 ฿22.1K

226.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,582 $4,582

$2,418 ฿81.1K

89.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 $3,015

$1,609 ฿54.0K

87.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,387 $4,387

$595 ฿20.0K

637.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.57

15.98%

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

Last update for Salt Lake City, UT: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salt Lake City, UT

$1.3K 49.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 76.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Salt Lake City, UT

$384 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 38.3% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salt Lake City, UT

$336 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 71.9% $241

Eating Out

Salt Lake City, UT

$294 11%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 74% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Salt Lake City, UT

$151 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 28.5% $43

Getting Around

Salt Lake City, UT

$110 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 46.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Salt Lake City, UT

$64 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 20.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,556 in Salt Lake City, UT 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 Salt Lake City, UT are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Salt Lake City, UT versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, UT

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

07:57 7:57 AM

14 h ahead of Salt Lake City, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,133

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.49 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Salt Lake City, UT Chiang Mai 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Salt Lake City, UT
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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

Salt Lake City, UT vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salt Lake City, UT costs about 186% 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 $4,009 per month in Salt Lake City, UT 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 $1,556 in Salt Lake City, UT.

Kindergarten costs $1,338 per month in Salt Lake City, UT 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 62% more in Salt Lake City, UT, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,673 in Salt Lake City, UT and $935 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 $935 versus $2,673 in Salt Lake City, UT. 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, Salt Lake City, UT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.