Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yuba City, CA and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,242 in Yuba City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Yuba City, CA
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Yuba City, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Yuba City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,242

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,242 per month in Yuba City, CA vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yuba City, CA $2,242
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,228 per month in Yuba City, CA vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yuba City, CA $3,228
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,214 per month in Yuba City, CA vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yuba City, CA $4,214
Chiang Mai $1,914

Yuba City, CA costs about 139% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Yuba City, CA sits 66% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 $16.96

$2.26 ฿75.4

650.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 $63.9

$19.18 ฿641

232.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$5.59 ฿187

111.63%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$1.72 ฿57.6

212.21%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$0.64 ฿21.54

282.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.33 ฿11.18

490.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 $7.36

$2.36 ฿78.7

211.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 $7.44

$3.90 ฿130

90.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.05 ฿68.6

-49.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.40 ฿46.70

79.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.28 ฿42.89

203.91%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$2.25 ฿75.3

81.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 $8.13

$16.94 ฿566

-52.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$2.74 ฿91.6

261.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 $12.57

$9.36 ฿313

34.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.01 ฿33.92

32.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.61 ฿53.9

29.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.52 ฿50.7

67.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.28 ฿42.90

14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.11 ฿37.22

59.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.72 ฿24.09

191.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 $1.36

$0.52 ฿17.54

161.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 $10.15

$4.33 ฿145

134.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$17.73 ฿593

-65.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.63 ฿54.4

-38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.85 ฿95.3

-41.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.85 ฿28.31

78.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 $3.87

$1.17 ฿39.18

230.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.57 ฿19.00

335.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.38 $33.38

$2.37 ฿79.2

1308.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.45 ฿48.32

-11.72%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

70.15%

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

$22.5K $22.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-15.13%

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

$175 $175

$62.3 ฿2,083

180.06%

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

$96.9 $96.9

$12.27 ฿410

690.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 $50.9

$19.97 ฿668

154.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.44 $25.44

$37.91 ฿1,267

-32.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 $13.23

$6.71 ฿224

97.17%

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

$1,018 $1,018

$797 ฿26.6K

27.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K $27.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

85.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.85 $49.85

$53.3 ฿1,780

-6.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 $32.73

$25.05 ฿837

30.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.0 $53.0

$91.6 ฿3,062

-42.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.4 $54.4

$73.5 ฿2,455

-25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 $1,399

$464 ฿15.5K

201.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 $1,178

$305 ฿10.2K

286.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,991 $1,991

$915 ฿30.6K

117.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 $1,881

$552 ฿18.5K

240.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,809 $2,809

$1,912 ฿63.9K

46.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,843 $2,843

$1,438 ฿48.1K

97.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,122 $4,122

$595 ฿19.9K

592.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.57

22.44%

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

Last update for Yuba City, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yuba City, CA

$1.2K 52.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 74.1% $874

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yuba City, CA

$322 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 70.7% $228

Eating Out

Yuba City, CA

$305 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 74.1% $226

Groceries & Markets

Yuba City, CA

$277 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 14% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Yuba City, CA

$85 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 28.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Yuba City, CA

$52 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 1.1% $0.6

Getting Around

Yuba City, CA

$22 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 174% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,399 in Yuba City, CA versus $464 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 593% higher in Yuba City, CA, 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 $64.0 in Yuba City, CA versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Yuba City, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

18:33 6:33 PM

14 h ahead of Yuba City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,941

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yuba City, CA Chiang Mai 12,310 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Yuba City, 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

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

Yuba City, CA costs about 139% 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 $3,363 per month in Yuba City, CA and $1,408 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 $64.0 in Yuba City, CA and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Yuba City, CA, 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 $938, than in Yuba City, CA at $2,242. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yuba City, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,242 in Yuba City, CA. 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, Yuba City, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.