Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sioux Falls, SD and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,114 in Sioux Falls, SD, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Sioux Falls, SD
Learn more

Sioux Falls, SD Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sioux Falls, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,114

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,114 per month in Sioux Falls, SD vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sioux Falls, SD $2,114
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,124 per month in Sioux Falls, SD vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sioux Falls, SD $3,124
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,133 per month in Sioux Falls, SD vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sioux Falls, SD $4,133
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sioux Falls, SD costs about 125% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sioux Falls, SD sits 57% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 $11.88

$2.26 ฿75.4

425.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$19.18 ฿641

292.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$5.59 ฿187

80.32%

Cappuccino

$4.24 $4.24

$1.72 ฿57.6

146.51%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$0.64 ฿21.54

326.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.33 ฿11.18

463.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.36 ฿78.7

69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 $6.52

$3.90 ฿130

67.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.05 ฿68.6

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.40 ฿46.70

102.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.28 ฿42.89

271.09%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$2.25 ฿75.3

54.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$16.94 ฿566

-26.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 $9.49

$2.74 ฿91.6

246.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.56 $15.56

$9.36 ฿313

66.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.40 ฿80.3

90.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.01 ฿33.92

54.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.61 ฿53.9

125.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.52 ฿50.7

130.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.28 ฿42.90

66.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.11 ฿37.22

196.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.72 ฿24.09

198.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.52 ฿17.54

228.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 $9.66

$4.33 ฿145

123.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.83 $10.83

$17.73 ฿593

-38.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.63 ฿54.4

38.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.85 ฿95.3

-10.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.85 ฿28.31

71.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.47 $30.47

$53.9 ฿1,801

-43.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.17 ฿39.18

222.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.57 ฿19.00

192.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.91 $34.91

$2.37 ฿79.2

1373.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.45 ฿48.32

-28.28%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

71.85%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-6.52%

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

$251 $251

$62.3 ฿2,083

302.04%

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

$46.46 $46.46

$12.27 ฿410

278.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 $55.9

$19.97 ฿668

179.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.46 $44.46

$37.91 ฿1,267

17.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.80 $34.80

$3.76 ฿126

825.53%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 $12.59

$6.71 ฿224

87.63%

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

$1,019 $1,019

$797 ฿26.6K

27.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,667 $7,667

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-48.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.74 $32.74

$53.3 ฿1,780

-38.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.87 $29.87

$25.05 ฿837

19.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$91.6 ฿3,062

32.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$73.5 ฿2,455

85.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 $1,365

$464 ฿15.5K

194.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$926 $926

$305 ฿10.2K

204.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,033 $2,033

$915 ฿30.6K

122.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 $1,519

$552 ฿18.5K

174.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 $2,511

$1,912 ฿63.9K

31.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,193 $2,193

$1,438 ฿48.1K

52.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,306 $4,306

$595 ฿19.9K

623.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

5.57

23.34%

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

Last update for Sioux Falls, SD: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sioux Falls, SD

$926 43.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 67.1% $622

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sioux Falls, SD

$353 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 73.2% $258

Groceries & Markets

Sioux Falls, SD

$345 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 31.1% $107

Eating Out

Sioux Falls, SD

$228 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 65.3% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Sioux Falls, SD

$144 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 24% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sioux Falls, SD

$70 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 26.3% $18

Getting Around

Sioux Falls, SD

$48 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 26.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,365 in Sioux Falls, SD versus $464 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 624% higher in Sioux Falls, SD, 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 Sioux Falls, SD versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sioux Falls, SD

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

23:17 11:17 PM

12 h ahead of Sioux Falls, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

192,517

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sioux Falls, SD Chiang Mai 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sioux Falls, SD
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

Sioux Falls, SD vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sioux Falls, SD costs about 125% 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 $3,171 per month in Sioux Falls, SD and $1,408 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,019 per month in Sioux Falls, SD and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Sioux Falls, SD, 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 $938, than in Sioux Falls, SD at $2,114. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sioux Falls, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,114 in Sioux Falls, SD. 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, Sioux Falls, SD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.