Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaumburg, IL and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL, rent and utilities included – about $28,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Schaumburg, IL
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Schaumburg, IL Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Schaumburg, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,283

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,283 per month in Schaumburg, IL vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Schaumburg, IL $3,283
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,589 per month in Schaumburg, IL vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Schaumburg, IL $4,589
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,894 per month in Schaumburg, IL vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Schaumburg, IL $5,894
Chiang Mai $1,979

Schaumburg, IL costs about 251% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Schaumburg, IL sits 141% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.80 $14.80

$2.24 ฿75.5

560.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$19.00 ฿640

429.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 $13.18

$5.55 ฿187

137.48%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$1.67 ฿56.4

191.62%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$0.64 ฿21.51

304.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.31 ฿10.29

645.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.36 ฿79.5

94.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 $6.24

$3.66 ฿123

70.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.95 ฿65.7

-54.87%

White Bread (500g)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.44 ฿48.41

189.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.44 $7.44

$1.33 ฿44.97

459.40%

Eggs

$4.04 $4.04

$2.28 ฿77.0

77.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.79 $14.79

$16.45 ฿554

-10.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 $13.80

$2.78 ฿93.8

396.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$9.31 ฿314

87.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.35 ฿79.3

131.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.97 ฿32.75

200.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.60 ฿53.8

218.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.50 ฿50.6

173.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.28 ฿43.06

158.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.10 ฿37.14

192.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.71 ฿23.79

176.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$0.49 ฿16.34

632.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.19 $18.19

$4.14 ฿140

339.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.44 $19.44

$17.52 ฿590

10.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.78 ฿93.8

93.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 ฿48.82

-34.48%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

25.43%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

5.94%

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

$342 $342

$62.2 ฿2,095

450.38%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$12.17 ฿410

523.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$148 $148

$20.12 ฿678

634.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.5 $64.5

$37.31 ฿1,257

72.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.22 $39.22

$3.77 ฿127

940.32%

Cinema Ticket

$20.02 $20.02

$6.49 ฿219

208.47%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$84.6K $84.6K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

473.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.9 $73.9

$53.4 ฿1,799

38.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.96 $49.96

$24.64 ฿830

102.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$91.5 ฿3,083

9.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$71.9 ฿2,424

66.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 $1,914

$482 ฿16.3K

296.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$309 ฿10.4K

457.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,818 $2,818

$1,006 ฿33.9K

180.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 $2,558

$633 ฿21.3K

303.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-10.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,073 $2,073

$1,589 ฿53.6K

30.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,915 $4,915

$590 ฿19.9K

733.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.57

9.52%

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

Last update for Schaumburg, IL: 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

Schaumburg, IL

$1.7K 52.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 82.1% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schaumburg, IL

$566 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 83.3% $471

Groceries & Markets

Schaumburg, IL

$465 * 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 49.6% $230

Eating Out

Schaumburg, IL

$271 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 71.4% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Schaumburg, IL

$155 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Schaumburg, IL

$105 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 51.9% $54

Getting Around

Schaumburg, IL

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,914 in Schaumburg, IL 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 Schaumburg, IL are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Schaumburg, IL versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $465 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Schaumburg, IL

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

10:30 10:30 AM

13 h ahead of Schaumburg, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,723

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Schaumburg, IL Chiang Mai 13,210 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Schaumburg, IL
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

Schaumburg, IL vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schaumburg, IL costs about 251% 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 $4,925 per month in Schaumburg, IL 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 $1,914 in Schaumburg, IL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 72% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 98% more in Schaumburg, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL 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 $3,283 in Schaumburg, IL. 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, Schaumburg, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.