Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Dalles, OR and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,414 in The Dalles, OR, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in The Dalles, OR
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The Dalles, OR Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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The Dalles, OR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,414

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,414 per month in The Dalles, OR vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

The Dalles, OR $2,414
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,667 per month in The Dalles, OR vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

The Dalles, OR $3,667
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,921 per month in The Dalles, OR vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

The Dalles, OR $4,921
Chiang Mai $1,979

The Dalles, OR costs about 158% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The Dalles, OR sits 77% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$2.24 ฿75.7

791.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.8 $93.8

$19.00 ฿642

393.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$5.55 ฿188

118.74%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$1.67 ฿56.6

168.26%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$0.64 ฿21.56

278.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.31 ฿10.32

583.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.36 ฿79.6

106.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$3.66 ฿124

94.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.95 ฿65.8

-44.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.44 ฿48.51

127.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.33 ฿45.07

205.26%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.28 ฿77.1

29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.94 $14.94

$16.45 ฿556

-9.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$2.78 ฿94.0

406.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$9.31 ฿314

18.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.35 ฿79.5

102.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.97 ฿32.82

76.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.60 ฿53.9

144.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.50 ฿50.7

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.28 ฿43.15

143.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.10 ฿37.22

202.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.71 ฿23.84

152.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.49 ฿16.38

314.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 $11.28

$4.14 ฿140

172.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$17.52 ฿592

-13.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.78 ฿94.0

7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.87 ฿29.33

136.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$54.1 ฿1,827

9.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.16 ฿39.08

203.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.53 ฿17.82

316.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.16 $49.16

$2.42 ฿81.8

1931.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.45 ฿48.93

-15.17%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

19.71%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-9.03%

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

$188 $188

$62.2 ฿2,100

202.27%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$12.17 ฿411

391.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$20.12 ฿680

253.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.12 $40.12

$37.31 ฿1,260

7.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$6.49 ฿219

83.67%

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

$1,012 $1,012

$736 ฿24.9K

37.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

10.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.48 $40.48

$53.4 ฿1,802

-24.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.67 $34.67

$24.64 ฿832

40.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 $60.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

-34.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 $80.1

$71.9 ฿2,429

11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$482 ฿16.3K

224.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 $1,163

$309 ฿10.4K

276.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,589 $2,589

$1,006 ฿34.0K

157.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 $2,067

$633 ฿21.4K

226.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,439 $2,439

$2,363 ฿79.8K

3.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,589 ฿53.7K

32.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,842 $3,842

$590 ฿19.9K

551.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

5.57

18.31%

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

Last update for The Dalles, OR: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Dalles, OR

$1.2K 48.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 73.4% $854

Groceries & Markets

The Dalles, OR

$382 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.7% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Dalles, OR

$319 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 70.4% $224

Eating Out

The Dalles, OR

$307 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.7% $229

Clothing & Footwear

The Dalles, OR

$97 4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.1% $12

Getting Around

The Dalles, OR

$82 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 25.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

The Dalles, OR

$64 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,565 in The Dalles, OR 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 The Dalles, OR are about 6.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94 in The Dalles, OR versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 The Dalles, OR

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

23:57 11:57 PM

14 h ahead of The Dalles, OR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,783

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

The Dalles, OR Chiang Mai 11,790 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

The Dalles, OR
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

The Dalles, OR vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Dalles, OR costs about 158% 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 $3,621 per month in The Dalles, OR 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 $1,565 in The Dalles, OR.

Kindergarten costs $1,012 per month in The Dalles, OR 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 63% more in The Dalles, OR, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,414 in The Dalles, OR 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, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, The Dalles, OR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.