Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wailuku, HI and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,600 in Wailuku, HI, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Wailuku, HI
Learn more

Wailuku, HI Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Wailuku, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,600

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,600 per month in Wailuku, HI vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wailuku, HI $2,600
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,819 per month in Wailuku, HI vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wailuku, HI $3,819
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,038 per month in Wailuku, HI vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wailuku, HI $5,038
Chiang Mai $1,979

Wailuku, HI costs about 178% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wailuku, HI sits 91% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$2.24 ฿75.7

779.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.6 $75.6

$19.00 ฿642

297.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 $11.63

$5.55 ฿188

109.55%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$1.67 ฿56.6

224.55%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$0.64 ฿21.56

320.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.31 ฿10.32

535.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.36 ฿79.6

147.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.28 $7.28

$3.66 ฿124

98.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.95 ฿65.8

-48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.44 ฿48.51

141.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.33 ฿45.07

220.30%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.28 ฿77.1

82.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 $12.61

$16.45 ฿556

-23.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$2.78 ฿94.0

321.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.12 $17.12

$9.31 ฿314

83.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.35 ฿79.5

116.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.97 ฿32.82

57.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.60 ฿53.9

165.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.50 ฿50.7

209.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.28 ฿43.15

124.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.10 ฿37.22

174.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.71 ฿23.84

195.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.49 ฿16.38

351.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$4.14 ฿140

125.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$17.52 ฿592

-12.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.61 ฿54.5

13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.78 ฿94.0

20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.87 ฿29.33

134.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.3 $60.3

$54.1 ฿1,827

11.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.16 ฿39.08

170.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.53 ฿17.82

222.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.66 $31.66

$2.42 ฿81.8

1208.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.45 ฿48.93

8.97%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

35.40%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-3.53%

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

$197 $197

$62.2 ฿2,100

217.63%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$12.17 ฿411

413.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$20.12 ฿680

242.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.71 $34.71

$37.31 ฿1,260

-6.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$70.2 $70.2

$3.77 ฿127

1761.01%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 $13.95

$6.49 ฿219

114.95%

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

$1,361 $1,361

$736 ฿24.9K

84.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

57.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$53.4 ฿1,802

-2.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.19 $41.19

$24.64 ฿832

67.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$91.5 ฿3,089

-3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$71.9 ฿2,429

55.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,575 $1,575

$482 ฿16.3K

226.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$309 ฿10.4K

314.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,539 $2,539

$1,006 ฿34.0K

152.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 $2,059

$633 ฿21.4K

224.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,848 $2,848

$2,363 ฿79.8K

20.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 $2,492

$1,589 ฿53.7K

56.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Wailuku, HI: 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

Wailuku, HI

$1.3K 49.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 75.9% $971

Groceries & Markets

Wailuku, HI

$397 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 41% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wailuku, HI

$329 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 71.3% $234

Eating Out

Wailuku, HI

$320 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.7% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Wailuku, HI

$132 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 17.7% $23

Getting Around

Wailuku, HI

$80 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Wailuku, HI

$63 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,575 in Wailuku, HI 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Wailuku, HI versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wailuku, HI

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

18:09 6:09 PM

17 h ahead of Wailuku, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,313

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wailuku, HI Chiang Mai 10,690 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Wailuku, HI
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

Wailuku, HI vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wailuku, HI costs about 178% 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 $3,900 per month in Wailuku, HI 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 $1,575 in Wailuku, HI.

Kindergarten costs $1,361 per month in Wailuku, HI 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 69% more in Wailuku, HI, 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 $2,600 in Wailuku, HI 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 178% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.