Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stuart, FL and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,242 in Stuart, FL, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Stuart, FL, United States
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Stuart, FL
🇺🇸 United States
$3,242
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,242 per month in Stuart, FL vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Stuart, FL $3,242
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,428 per month in Stuart, FL vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Stuart, FL $4,428
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,614 per month in Stuart, FL vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Stuart, FL $5,614
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Stuart, FL costs about 246% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Stuart, FL sits 138% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.21 $20.21
$2.24 ฿75.7
802.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 $61.0
$19.00 ฿642
221.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.00 $10.00
$5.55 ฿188
80.18%
Cappuccino
$4.70 $4.70
$1.67 ฿56.6
181.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 $3.01
$0.64 ฿21.56
370.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 $2.28
$0.31 ฿10.32
635.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.14 $7.14
$2.36 ฿79.6
202.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.79 $6.79
$3.66 ฿124
85.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 $1.27
$1.95 ฿65.8
-34.87%
White Bread (500g)
$3.96 $3.96
$1.44 ฿48.51
175.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.26 $4.26
$1.33 ฿45.07
220.30%
Eggs
$5.19 $5.19
$2.28 ฿77.1
127.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.29 $16.29
$16.45 ฿556
-0.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.53 $14.53
$2.78 ฿94.0
422.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.63 $11.63
$9.31 ฿314
24.92%
Apples (1kg)
$5.29 $5.29
$2.35 ฿79.5
125.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$0.97 ฿32.82
71.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.69 $3.69
$1.60 ฿53.9
130.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.42 $4.42
$1.50 ฿50.7
194.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 $2.07
$1.28 ฿43.15
61.72%
Onion (1kg)
$3.26 $3.26
$1.10 ฿37.22
196.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.31 $2.31
$0.71 ฿23.84
225.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$0.49 ฿16.38
318.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.44 $9.44
$4.14 ฿140
128.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.16 $13.16
$17.52 ฿592
-24.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.39 $2.39
$1.61 ฿54.5
48.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 $3.10
$2.78 ฿94.0
11.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.87 ฿29.33
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,827
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 $3.01
$1.16 ฿39.08
159.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 $2.00
$0.53 ฿17.82
277.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.80 $23.80
$2.42 ฿81.8
883.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 $0.86
$1.45 ฿48.93
-40.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K $35.1K
$21.1K ฿711.2K
66.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K $24.7K
$26.9K ฿909.8K
-8.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$166 $166
$62.2 ฿2,100
167.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.46 $40.46
$12.17 ฿411
232.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.8 $55.8
$20.12 ฿680
177.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.01 $29.01
$37.31 ฿1,260
-22.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.55 $11.55
$6.49 ฿219
77.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,835 $1,835
$736 ฿24.9K
149.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$39.7K $39.7K
$14.8K ฿498.6K
169.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.10 $27.10
$53.4 ฿1,802
-49.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.92 $39.92
$24.64 ฿832
62.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.6 $72.6
$91.5 ฿3,089
-20.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.4 $90.4
$71.9 ฿2,429
25.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,518 $2,518
$482 ฿16.3K
422.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,081 $2,081
$309 ฿10.4K
573.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,098 $4,098
$1,006 ฿34.0K
307.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,060 $3,060
$633 ฿21.4K
383.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,281 $3,281
$2,363 ฿79.8K
38.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,209 $3,209
$1,589 ฿53.7K
101.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stuart, FL
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,823 $3,823
$590 ฿19.9K
548.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.77
5.57
3.59%

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

Last update for Stuart, FL: 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
Stuart, FL
$2.1K
Chiang Mai
$309 85.2% $1.8K
Groceries & Markets
Stuart, FL
$411
Chiang Mai
$234 43% $177
Eating Out
Stuart, FL
$319
Chiang Mai
$78 75.6% $241
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stuart, FL
$262
Chiang Mai
$94 64% $168
Clothing & Footwear
Stuart, FL
$104
Chiang Mai
$109 4.9% $5.1
Sport & Entertainment
Stuart, FL
$52
Chiang Mai
$50 3.5% $1.8
Getting Around
Stuart, FL
$13 *
Chiang Mai
$61 371% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,518 in Stuart, FL 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 Stuart, FL are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Stuart, FL versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Stuart, FL
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
13:48 1:48 PM
00:48 12:48 AM
11 h ahead of Stuart, FL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,155
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stuart, FL Chiang Mai 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Stuart, FL
  • 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
Stuart, FL vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Stuart, FL or Chiang Mai?
Stuart, FL costs about 246% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Stuart, FL and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,863 per month in Stuart, FL and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Stuart, FL or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $2,518 in Stuart, FL.
How do dining costs compare in Stuart, FL and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Stuart, FL and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Stuart, FL or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 75% more in Stuart, FL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $800/month in Stuart, FL or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,242 in Stuart, FL and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Stuart, FL or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stuart, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Stuart, FL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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