Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Williston, ND and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,269 in Williston, ND, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Williston, ND
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Williston, ND Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Williston, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,269

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,269 per month in Williston, ND vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Williston, ND $2,269
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,718 per month in Williston, ND vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Williston, ND $3,718
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,166 per month in Williston, ND vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Williston, ND $5,166
Chiang Mai $1,999

Williston, ND costs about 143% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Williston, ND sits 68% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$2.13 ฿71.9

842.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.9 $75.9

$18.62 ฿628

307.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 $11.36

$5.60 ฿189

102.86%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$1.66 ฿56.0

215.06%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$0.65 ฿21.80

323.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.30 ฿10.28

570.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.32 ฿78.3

132.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.67 ฿124

86.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.02 ฿67.9

-52.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.41 ฿47.45

44.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.39 ฿46.90

194.96%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.37 ฿79.8

73.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$30.04 $30.04

$16.52 ฿557

81.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$2.67 ฿90.0

373.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$9.02 ฿304

54.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.40 ฿80.8

115.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.04 ฿35.09

77.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.66 ฿55.9

155.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.56 ฿52.5

201.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.24 ฿41.71

130.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.09 ฿36.62

171.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.76 ฿25.67

177.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.51 ฿17.33

331.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 $10.15

$4.12 ฿139

146.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$17.93 ฿604

-14.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.62 ฿54.7

17.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.82 ฿95.1

31.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.93 ฿31.49

96.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 $68.8

$52.9 ฿1,782

29.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.18 ฿39.65

154.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.17 ฿5.78

794.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.58 $32.58

$1.81 ฿61.1

1700.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.47 ฿49.63

-27.89%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$21.0K ฿708.1K

15.10%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$26.5K ฿893.6K

-6.35%

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

$197 $197

$62.6 ฿2,108

215.30%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$11.60 ฿391

405.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$20.30 ฿684

267.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.64 $41.64

$37.88 ฿1,277

9.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 $13.64

$6.51 ฿219

109.52%

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

$1,360 $1,360

$727 ฿24.5K

87.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K $20.1K

$16.6K ฿558.5K

21.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$53.5 ฿1,804

-0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$24.80 ฿836

64.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 $95.6

$90.4 ฿3,046

5.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.0 ฿2,425

43.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 $997

$481 ฿16.2K

107.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 $901

$310 ฿10.4K

190.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,058 ฿35.7K

94.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,154 $2,154

$659 ฿22.2K

227.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,237 $2,237

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-7.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 $2,273

$1,609 ฿54.2K

41.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,795 $5,795

$595 ฿20.0K

874.23%

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 Williston, ND: 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

Williston, ND

$901 39.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 65.6% $591

Groceries & Markets

Williston, ND

$433 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 45.3% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Williston, ND

$330 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 71.4% $236

Eating Out

Williston, ND

$317 14%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 75.9% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Williston, ND

$132 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 17.9% $24

Getting Around

Williston, ND

$87 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 32.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Williston, ND

$69 3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 26.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $997 in Williston, ND 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 Williston, ND are about 9.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Williston, ND versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Williston, ND

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

20:35 8:35 PM

13 h ahead of Williston, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Williston, ND Chiang Mai 12,240 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Williston, ND
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

Williston, ND vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Williston, ND costs about 143% 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 $3,403 per month in Williston, ND 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 $997 in Williston, ND.

Kindergarten costs $1,360 per month in Williston, ND 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 83% more in Williston, ND, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,269 in Williston, ND 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, Williston, ND makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.