Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union, SC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,296 in Union, SC, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,296

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,296 per month in Union, SC vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Union, SC $2,296
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,597 per month in Union, SC vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Union, SC $3,597
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,897 per month in Union, SC vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Union, SC $4,897
Chiang Mai $1,903

Union, SC costs about 148% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Union, SC sits 69% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 $9.15

$2.29 ฿76.5

299.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$19.64 ฿656

403.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$5.61 ฿188

51.69%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$1.66 ฿55.6

260.24%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$0.70 ฿23.40

232.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.31 ฿10.24

525.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.41 ฿80.4

16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.71 ฿124

-7.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.95 ฿65.3

-45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.41 ฿47.03

131.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.31 ฿43.62

87.02%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$2.18 ฿72.9

51.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$16.65 ฿556

-46.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$2.76 ฿92.2

382.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$9.11 ฿304

61.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.39 ฿80.0

17.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.03 ฿34.26

27.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.63 ฿54.4

98.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.50 ฿50.0

196.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.29 ฿43.13

83.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.11 ฿37.03

90.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.72 ฿24.08

143.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.53 ฿17.59

143.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$4.31 ฿144

93.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$17.95 ฿600

-51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.58 ฿52.9

13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.84 ฿95.0

81.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.86 ฿28.86

143.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.21 ฿40.29

281.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.57 ฿18.99

429.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.96 $34.96

$2.35 ฿78.6

1387.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.44 ฿47.96

-36.81%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

34.94%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-5.82%

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

$177 $177

$62.3 ฿2,083

184.07%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$12.11 ฿405

435.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.72 $45.72

$19.94 ฿666

129.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 $41.73

$37.07 ฿1,239

12.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$6.50 ฿217

102.62%

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

$2,585 $2,585

$793 ฿26.5K

226.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

55.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.21 $47.21

$53.7 ฿1,796

-12.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.96 $20.96

$24.62 ฿823

-14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$90.9 ฿3,036

-5.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 $99.0

$71.1 ฿2,378

39.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 $1,390

$455 ฿15.2K

205.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 $1,259

$298 ฿9,954

322.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$908 ฿30.4K

142.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$554 ฿18.5K

336.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$1,931 ฿64.5K

39.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$1,445 ฿48.3K

47.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,496 $2,496

$591 ฿19.7K

322.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Union, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 76.3% $961

Groceries & Markets

Union, SC

$332 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 29% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union, SC

$288 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 67.2% $193

Eating Out

Union, SC

$208 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 62.3% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Union, SC

$114 5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 4.9% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Union, SC

$68 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.5% $18

Getting Around

Union, SC

$28 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 117% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,390 in Union, SC versus $455 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 322% higher in Union, SC, 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 $99.0 in Union, SC versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

17:20 5:20 PM

11 h ahead of Union, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Union, SC Chiang Mai 14,070 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Union, SC
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

Union, SC vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Union, SC costs about 148% 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 $3,444 per month in Union, SC and $1,388 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Union, SC and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Union, SC, 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 $925, than in Union, SC at $2,296. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Union, SC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,296 in Union, SC. 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, Union, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.