Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zion, IL and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,506 in Zion, IL, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Zion, IL
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Zion, IL Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zion, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,506

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,506 per month in Zion, IL vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zion, IL $2,506
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,518 per month in Zion, IL vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zion, IL $3,518
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,529 per month in Zion, IL vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zion, IL $4,529
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zion, IL costs about 168% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zion, IL sits 84% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.85 $14.85

$2.24 ฿75.6

562.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 $63.4

$19.00 ฿641

233.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 $8.02

$5.55 ฿187

44.50%

Cappuccino

$5.45 $5.45

$1.67 ฿56.5

226.35%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$0.64 ฿21.54

229.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.31 ฿10.31

248.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.36 ฿79.5

169.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.66 ฿124

40.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.95 ฿65.7

-48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.44 ฿48.46

58.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.33 ฿45.03

212.03%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$2.28 ฿77.1

72.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.94 $11.94

$16.45 ฿555

-27.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.55 $15.55

$2.78 ฿93.9

459.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$9.31 ฿314

80.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.01 $6.01

$2.35 ฿79.4

155.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.97 ฿32.79

140.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.60 ฿53.9

161.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.50 ฿50.6

184.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.28 ฿43.11

157.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.10 ฿37.18

143.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.71 ฿23.82

185.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.49 ฿16.36

408.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.46 $12.46

$4.14 ฿140

200.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.63 $14.63

$17.52 ฿591

-16.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.61 ฿54.5

32.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.78 ฿93.9

45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.87 ฿29.30

131.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.9 $51.9

$54.1 ฿1,825

-4.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 $5.41

$1.16 ฿39.04

366.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 $2.89

$0.53 ฿17.80

445.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.64 $17.64

$2.42 ฿81.7

628.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.45 ฿48.88

-20.00%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

31.00%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

1.15%

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

$225 $225

$62.2 ฿2,098

261.19%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$12.17 ฿411

326.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$20.12 ฿679

224.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.38 $42.38

$37.31 ฿1,259

13.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 $9.68

$6.49 ฿219

49.15%

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

$1,104 $1,104

$736 ฿24.8K

49.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-15.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.44 $46.44

$53.4 ฿1,801

-12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.73 $24.73

$24.64 ฿831

0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.4 $58.4

$91.5 ฿3,087

-36.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.0 $50.0

$71.9 ฿2,427

-30.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 $1,501

$482 ฿16.3K

211.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,266 $1,266

$309 ฿10.4K

309.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,289 $2,289

$1,006 ฿33.9K

127.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,875 $1,875

$633 ฿21.4K

195.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,733 $2,733

$2,363 ฿79.7K

15.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 $2,022

$1,589 ฿53.6K

27.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Zion, IL: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zion, IL

$1.3K 50.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 75.6% $958

Groceries & Markets

Zion, IL

$413 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.2% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zion, IL

$342 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72.4% $247

Eating Out

Zion, IL

$263 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 70.5% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Zion, IL

$81 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.4% $28

Getting Around

Zion, IL

$80 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Zion, IL

$62 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,501 in Zion, IL 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 $63 in Zion, IL versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Zion, IL

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

20:37 8:37 PM

13 h ahead of Zion, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,655

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Zion, IL Chiang Mai 13,170 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Zion, IL
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

Zion, IL vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zion, IL costs about 168% 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 $3,759 per month in Zion, IL 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 $1,501 in Zion, IL.

Kindergarten costs $1,104 per month in Zion, IL 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 76% more in Zion, IL, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,506 in Zion, IL 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.