Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turlock, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,890 in Turlock, CA, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Turlock, CA
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Turlock, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Turlock, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,890

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,890 per month in Turlock, CA vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Turlock, CA $2,890
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $4,062 per month in Turlock, CA vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Turlock, CA $4,062
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,235 per month in Turlock, CA vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Turlock, CA $5,235
Chiang Mai $1,999

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

Turlock, CA sits 114% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.02 $25.02

$2.13 ฿71.7

1074.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$18.62 ฿625

431.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 $12.88

$5.60 ฿188

130.00%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$1.66 ฿55.9

253.61%

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

$4.41 $4.41

$0.65 ฿21.73

578.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$0.30 ฿10.24

1143.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 $8.65

$2.32 ฿78.0

272.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.34 $9.34

$3.67 ฿123

154.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.02 ฿67.7

-31.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.41 ฿47.29

125.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.39 ฿46.75

70.50%

Eggs

$2.96 $2.96

$2.37 ฿79.5

24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$16.52 ฿555

-22.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 $12.45

$2.67 ฿89.7

366.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.09 $19.09

$9.02 ฿303

111.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.40 ฿80.6

52.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.04 ฿34.98

32.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.66 ฿55.7

135.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.56 ฿52.4

64.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.24 ฿41.57

108.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.09 ฿36.50

144.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.76 ฿25.59

153.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.51 ฿17.27

301.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$4.12 ฿138

187.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.58 $14.58

$17.93 ฿602

-18.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.62 ฿54.5

17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.82 ฿94.8

-29.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.93 ฿31.39

143.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 $62.4

$52.9 ฿1,777

17.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.18 ฿39.52

246.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.17 ฿5.76

1064.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.23 $32.23

$1.81 ฿60.9

1680.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.47 ฿49.47

-0.68%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

30.45%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-14.03%

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

$263 $263

$62.6 ฿2,101

320.01%

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

$64.0 $64.0

$11.60 ฿390

452.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.4 $60.4

$20.30 ฿682

197.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 $35.49

$37.88 ฿1,272

-6.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$18.29 $18.29

$6.51 ฿219

180.95%

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

$1,350 $1,350

$727 ฿24.4K

85.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K $39.1K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

135.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 $62.0

$53.5 ฿1,798

15.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.03 $47.03

$24.80 ฿833

89.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$90.4 ฿3,036

32.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$72.0 ฿2,418

92.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 $1,426

$481 ฿16.2K

196.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 $1,409

$310 ฿10.4K

354.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,268 $2,268

$1,058 ฿35.5K

114.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 $1,945

$659 ฿22.1K

195.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,226 $3,226

$2,418 ฿81.2K

33.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,047 $2,047

$1,609 ฿54.0K

27.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,409 $4,409

$595 ฿20.0K

641.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.57

15.98%

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

Last update for Turlock, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turlock, CA

$1.4K 48.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 78% $1.1K

Eating Out

Turlock, CA

$404 14%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 81% $327

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turlock, CA

$387 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 75.6% $293

Groceries & Markets

Turlock, CA

$368 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 35.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Turlock, CA

$165 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 34.5% $57

Getting Around

Turlock, CA

$85 3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 31.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Turlock, CA

$72 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 29.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,426 in Turlock, CA versus $481 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 Turlock, CA are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Turlock, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Turlock, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

13:28 1:28 PM

15 h ahead of Turlock, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,504

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Turlock, CA Chiang Mai 12,500 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Turlock, CA
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

Turlock, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turlock, CA 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 $4,335 per month in Turlock, CA 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 $481 there versus $1,426 in Turlock, CA.

Kindergarten costs $1,350 per month in Turlock, CA and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Turlock, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,890 in Turlock, CA and $935 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Turlock, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.