City comparison
Cost of living in New York vs Chiang Mai
One person needs about €4,270 a month in New York and €705 in Chiang Mai, rent included — Chiang Mai is 83% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Chiang Mai the way you live in New York on €3,000, you need
€495/ month net
83% less than today (-€2,505)
- New York today
- Basket €4,270 · left over -€1,270 (-42%)
- Chiang Mai at the matched salary
- Basket €705 · left over -€210 (-42%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 170% over in Chiang Mai (comfortable) vs 192% in New York. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇺🇸 New York
Extreme on both sides of the ledger: top-of-market pay, top-of-market burn rate.
Monthly budget: €4,270
Sources: US BLS + Census ACS, CPI-U (NY area) & ACS median gross rent (2024) · 502 community reports
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
The classic low-burn base — unbeatable food costs, with a smoky burning season each spring.
Monthly budget: €705
Sources: Thailand NSO + Bank of Thailand, CPI & provincial wage survey (2025) · 209 community reports
Should you move to New York or Chiang Mai?
On salary, New York pays more for tech roles (€8,200 versus €1,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €3,930 in New York at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €3,200 in New York against €380 in Chiang Mai. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores New York at 61 and Chiang Mai at 78 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.