Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thornton, CO and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,887 in Thornton, CO, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Thornton, CO
Learn more

Thornton, CO Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Thornton, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,887

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,887 per month in Thornton, CO vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thornton, CO $2,887
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,977 per month in Thornton, CO vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thornton, CO $3,977
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,068 per month in Thornton, CO vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thornton, CO $5,068
Chiang Mai $1,979

Thornton, CO costs about 209% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Thornton, CO sits 112% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$2.24 ฿75.7

802.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 $84.0

$19.00 ฿642

342.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$5.55 ฿188

134.77%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$1.67 ฿56.6

253.29%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$0.64 ฿21.56

368.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.31 ฿10.32

632.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.36 ฿79.6

201.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.66 ฿124

119.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.95 ฿65.8

-45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.44 ฿48.51

125.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.33 ฿45.07

222.56%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$2.28 ฿77.1

123.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 $14.77

$16.45 ฿556

-10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$2.78 ฿94.0

393.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$9.31 ฿314

105.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$2.35 ฿79.5

123.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.97 ฿32.82

122.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.60 ฿53.9

181.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.50 ฿50.7

210.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.28 ฿43.15

106.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.10 ฿37.22

127.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.71 ฿23.84

238.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.49 ฿16.38

395.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.20 $10.20

$4.14 ฿140

146.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 $19.18

$17.52 ฿592

9.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.61 ฿54.5

72.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.78 ฿94.0

71.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.16 ฿39.08

193.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.53 ฿17.82

162.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.76 $24.76

$2.42 ฿81.8

923.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.45 ฿48.93

-28.97%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

35.49%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-2.89%

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

$165 $165

$62.2 ฿2,100

165.18%

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

$77.5 $77.5

$12.17 ฿411

536.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 $86.6

$20.12 ฿680

330.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 $55.7

$37.31 ฿1,260

49.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.96 $9.96

$3.77 ฿127

164.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$6.49 ฿219

131.43%

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

$1,579 $1,579

$736 ฿24.9K

114.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K $24.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

67.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$53.4 ฿1,802

9.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.21 $39.21

$24.64 ฿832

59.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 $83.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

-9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$71.9 ฿2,429

72.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 $1,743

$482 ฿16.3K

261.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 $1,535

$309 ฿10.4K

396.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,628 $2,628

$1,006 ฿34.0K

161.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 $2,029

$633 ฿21.4K

220.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,576 $5,576

$590 ฿19.9K

845.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

5.57

20.65%

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

Last update for Thornton, CO: 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

Thornton, CO

$1.5K 53.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 79.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Thornton, CO

$445 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 47.3% $211

Eating Out

Thornton, CO

$344 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77.5% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thornton, CO

$329 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 71.3% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Thornton, CO

$137 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 20.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Thornton, CO

$86 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 41.3% $35

Getting Around

Thornton, CO

$10 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 493% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,743 in Thornton, CO 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 Thornton, CO are about 9.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Thornton, CO versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $445 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thornton, CO

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

04:36 4:36 AM

13 h ahead of Thornton, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,478

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 0.898 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).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thornton, CO Chiang Mai 13,030 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Thornton, CO
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

Thornton, CO vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thornton, CO costs about 209% 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 $4,330 per month in Thornton, CO 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 $1,743 in Thornton, CO.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Thornton, CO and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 90% more in Thornton, CO, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,887 in Thornton, CO 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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