Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Dimas, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $2,562 in San Dimas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in San Dimas, CA
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San Dimas, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Dimas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,562

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,562 per month in San Dimas, CA vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Dimas, CA $2,562
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $3,689 per month in San Dimas, CA vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Dimas, CA $3,689
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $4,816 per month in San Dimas, CA vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Dimas, CA $4,816
Chiang Mai $1,864

San Dimas, CA costs about 183% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Dimas, CA sits 91% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 $12.15

$2.13 ฿71.4

470.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 $50.7

$19.40 ฿650

161.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$5.47 ฿183

67.28%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$1.68 ฿56.5

248.21%

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

$3.42 $3.42

$0.66 ฿22.11

418.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.34 ฿11.52

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.58 $7.58

$2.42 ฿81.1

213.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.73 ฿125

116.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.06 ฿69.0

-49.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.46 ฿48.81

173.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.35 ฿45.11

259.26%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$2.27 ฿76.0

104.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$16.31 ฿547

-21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.05 $20.05

$2.70 ฿90.4

642.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 $15.40

$9.20 ฿308

67.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.39 ฿80.2

105.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.04 ฿34.68

60.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$1.60 ฿53.7

241.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$1.44 ฿48.39

310.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.30 ฿43.62

186.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.11 ฿37.32

108.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.70 ฿23.57

190.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.51 ฿17.00

276.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 $11.86

$4.13 ฿138

187.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 $15.21

$17.78 ฿596

-14.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.63 ฿54.7

21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.87 ฿96.1

48.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.86 ฿28.77

132.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,781

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 $6.21

$1.22 ฿40.84

409.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.56 ฿18.82

205.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.65 $33.65

$2.31 ฿77.5

1356.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.50 ฿50.2

1.33%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$20.9K ฿698.7K

75.38%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$26.7K ฿895.6K

2.69%

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

$170 $170

$61.3 ฿2,052

177.91%

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

$66.2 $66.2

$12.50 ฿419

429.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 $60.5

$20.36 ฿682

196.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.71 $41.71

$37.94 ฿1,271

9.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$6.60 ฿221

126.67%

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

$1,917 $1,917

$774 ฿25.9K

147.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K $25.6K

$14.4K ฿483.5K

77.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$54.8 ฿1,836

6.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.64 $39.64

$25.26 ฿846

56.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$90.6 ฿3,034

2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$73.3 ฿2,454

97.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 $1,593

$459 ฿15.4K

247.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 $1,470

$294 ฿9,841

400.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,483 $2,483

$919 ฿30.8K

170.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$552 ฿18.5K

324.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 $2,666

$1,917 ฿64.2K

39.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 $2,437

$1,445 ฿48.4K

68.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,989 $3,989

$592 ฿19.8K

573.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

5.57

14.72%

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

Last update for San Dimas, CA: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Dimas, CA

$1.5K 53.6%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 80% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

San Dimas, CA

$455 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 48.1% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Dimas, CA

$297 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 68.3% $203

Eating Out

San Dimas, CA

$272 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 71.6% $195

Clothing & Footwear

San Dimas, CA

$151 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 27.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

San Dimas, CA

$72 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 28.6% $21

Getting Around

San Dimas, CA

$23 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 167% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,593 in San Dimas, CA versus $459 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 run about 573% higher in San Dimas, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in San Dimas, CA versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $455 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Dimas, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

14 h ahead of San Dimas, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,714

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 33.5 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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San Dimas, CA Chiang Mai 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

San Dimas, 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

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

San Dimas, CA costs about 183% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 San Dimas, CA and $1,359 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in San Dimas, CA and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% more in San Dimas, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in San Dimas, CA at $2,562. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Dimas, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $2,562 in San Dimas, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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