Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between SeaTac, WA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,170 in SeaTac, WA, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in SeaTac, WA
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SeaTac, WA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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SeaTac, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,170

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,170 per month in SeaTac, WA vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

SeaTac, WA $3,170
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,514 per month in SeaTac, WA vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

SeaTac, WA $4,514
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,857 per month in SeaTac, WA vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

SeaTac, WA $5,857
Chiang Mai $1,979

SeaTac, WA costs about 239% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

SeaTac, WA sits 133% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.05 $25.05

$2.24 ฿75.6

1018.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$19.00 ฿641

315.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$5.55 ฿187

120.18%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$1.67 ฿56.5

240.12%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$0.64 ฿21.54

390.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.31 ฿10.31

570.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.36 ฿79.5

66.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.66 ฿124

65.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.44 ฿48.46

192.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.33 ฿45.03

154.89%

Eggs

$7.20 $7.20

$2.28 ฿77.1

215.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.94 $14.94

$16.45 ฿555

-9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$2.78 ฿93.9

398.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.97 $17.97

$9.31 ฿314

93.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.35 ฿79.4

139.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.97 ฿32.79

79.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.60 ฿53.9

161.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.50 ฿50.6

210.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.28 ฿43.11

74.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.10 ฿37.18

166.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.71 ฿23.82

146.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$0.49 ฿16.36

548.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.19 $12.19

$4.14 ฿140

194.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 $18.20

$17.52 ฿591

3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.61 ฿54.5

5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.78 ฿93.9

-26.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.87 ฿29.30

209.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 $88.9

$54.1 ฿1,825

64.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.16 ฿39.04

120.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.53 ฿17.80

220.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.54 $29.54

$2.42 ฿81.7

1120.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.45 ฿48.88

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

35.82%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

0.50%

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

$232 $232

$62.2 ฿2,098

273.38%

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

$63.6 $63.6

$12.17 ฿411

422.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 $84.6

$20.12 ฿679

320.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.33 $34.33

$37.31 ฿1,259

-7.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 $19.73

$3.77 ฿127

423.34%

Cinema Ticket

$17.36 $17.36

$6.49 ฿219

167.49%

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

$2,083 $2,083

$736 ฿24.8K

182.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

114.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.65 $48.65

$53.4 ฿1,801

-8.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.60 $22.60

$24.64 ฿831

-8.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.7 $62.7

$91.5 ฿3,087

-31.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.68 $45.68

$71.9 ฿2,427

-36.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,208 $2,208

$482 ฿16.3K

357.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$309 ฿10.4K

457.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,873 $3,873

$1,006 ฿33.9K

285.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,683 $2,683

$633 ฿21.4K

323.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,064 $4,064

$2,363 ฿79.7K

71.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,821 $3,821

$1,589 ฿53.6K

140.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,075 $6,075

$590 ฿19.9K

930.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for SeaTac, WA: 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

SeaTac, WA

$1.7K 54.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 82.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

SeaTac, WA

$449 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 47.8% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

SeaTac, WA

$380 12%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 75.2% $286

Eating Out

SeaTac, WA

$358 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 78.3% $280

Getting Around

SeaTac, WA

$111 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 44.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

SeaTac, WA

$81 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

SeaTac, WA

$69 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,208 in SeaTac, WA 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 SeaTac, WA are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in SeaTac, WA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $449 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 SeaTac, WA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

23:06 11:06 PM

15 h ahead of SeaTac, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,454

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

SeaTac, WA Chiang Mai 11,580 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

SeaTac, WA
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

SeaTac, WA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

SeaTac, WA costs about 239% 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 $4,755 per month in SeaTac, WA 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 $2,208 in SeaTac, WA.

Kindergarten costs $2,083 per month in SeaTac, WA 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 92% more in SeaTac, WA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,170 in SeaTac, WA 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.

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