Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shelby Township, MI and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,609 in Shelby Township, MI, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Shelby Township, MI
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Shelby Township, MI Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Shelby Township, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,609 per month in Shelby Township, MI vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shelby Township, MI $2,609
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,806 per month in Shelby Township, MI vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shelby Township, MI $3,806
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,003 per month in Shelby Township, MI vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shelby Township, MI $5,003
Chiang Mai $1,903

Shelby Township, MI costs about 182% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shelby Township, MI sits 93% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.60 $19.60

$2.29 ฿76.5

755.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$19.64 ฿656

282.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 $11.35

$5.61 ฿188

102.32%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$1.66 ฿55.6

225.90%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$0.70 ฿23.40

274.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.31 ฿10.24

525.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.41 ฿80.4

122.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$3.71 ฿124

116.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.95 ฿65.3

-42.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.41 ฿47.03

114.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.31 ฿43.62

256.49%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$2.18 ฿72.9

115.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.57 $13.57

$16.65 ฿556

-18.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 $11.48

$2.76 ฿92.2

315.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.11 ฿304

65.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.39 ฿80.0

130.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.03 ฿34.26

50.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.63 ฿54.4

145.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.50 ฿50.0

192.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.29 ฿43.13

86.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.11 ฿37.03

162.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.72 ฿24.08

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.53 ฿17.59

371.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$4.31 ฿144

129.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$17.95 ฿600

-17.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.58 ฿52.9

42.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.84 ฿95.0

8.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.86 ฿28.86

160.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.21 ฿40.29

125.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.57 ฿18.99

242.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.81 $30.81

$2.35 ฿78.6

1211.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.44 ฿47.96

-18.75%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

26.41%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-7.52%

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

$228 $228

$62.3 ฿2,083

265.27%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$12.11 ฿405

386.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$19.94 ฿666

253.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.87 $40.87

$37.07 ฿1,239

10.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.88 $13.88

$6.50 ฿217

113.54%

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

$1,609 $1,609

$793 ฿26.5K

103.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K $20.5K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

38.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$53.7 ฿1,796

-4.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 $40.55

$24.62 ฿823

64.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$90.9 ฿3,036

-2.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 $125

$71.1 ฿2,378

76.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 $1,627

$455 ฿15.2K

257.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$298 ฿9,954

340.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 $2,522

$908 ฿30.4K

177.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,178 $2,178

$554 ฿18.5K

293.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,389 $2,389

$1,931 ฿64.5K

23.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,365 $2,365

$1,445 ฿48.3K

63.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,785 $4,785

$591 ฿19.7K

709.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Shelby Township, MI: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shelby Township, MI

$1.3K 50.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 77.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Shelby Township, MI

$395 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 40.3% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shelby Township, MI

$357 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 73.6% $263

Eating Out

Shelby Township, MI

$317 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 75.2% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Shelby Township, MI

$138 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 21.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Shelby Township, MI

$69 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.1% $19

Getting Around

Shelby Township, MI

$21 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 184% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,627 in Shelby Township, MI versus $455 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 710% higher in Shelby Township, MI, 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 $75.0 in Shelby Township, MI versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $395 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Shelby Township, MI

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

11 h ahead of Shelby Township, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,018

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Shelby Township, MI Chiang Mai 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Shelby Township, MI
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

Shelby Township, MI vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shelby Township, MI costs about 182% 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 $3,914 per month in Shelby Township, MI and $1,388 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 $75.0 in Shelby Township, MI and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Shelby Township, MI, 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 $925, than in Shelby Township, MI at $2,609. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shelby Township, MI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,609 in Shelby Township, MI. 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, Shelby Township, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.