Cost of living comparison
compared to
Thailand vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Thailand is 46.2% cheaper than United States overall.
Thailand vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Thailand instead of United States, you would:
pay 69.2% less for restaurants
United States | Thailand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.45 | $2.67 THB89.22 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.12 | $6.99 THB233.55 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.56 | $0.73 THB24.53 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.00 | $0.36 THB12.02 | |
United States vs. Thailand - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 34.2% less for groceries
United States | Thailand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.56 | $1.41 THB47.03 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.50 | $7.88 THB263.22 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.97 | $7.17 THB239.27 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.27 | $2.07 THB69.12 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.41 | $1.41 THB47.15 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.37 | $1.33 THB44.35 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.78 | $0.59 THB19.79 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.04 | $0.90 THB29.99 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.21 | $0.75 THB25.15 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.34 | $0.71 THB23.78 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.38 | $0.62 THB20.60 | |
United States vs. Thailand - Cost of groceries
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 15.4% less for transportation
United States | Thailand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.41 | $4.83 THB161.35 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.85 | $28.12 THB938.95 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,336.38 | $30,471.21 THB1M | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.61 | $10.53 THB351.58 | |
United States vs. Thailand - Cost of transportation
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 72.3% less for housing
United States | Thailand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $68.97 | $18.52 THB618.46 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,664.59 | $414.60 THB13,843.85 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,416.15 | $266.86 THB8,910.61 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $150.19 | $60.46 THB2,018.81 | |
United States vs. Thailand - Cost of housing
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 63.1% less for childcare
United States | Thailand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,387.27 | $359.13 THB11,991.57 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $23,196.46 | $11,104.31 THB371K | |
United States vs. Thailand - Cost of childcare
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 46.2% less for entertainment and sports
United States | Thailand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.84 | $2.15 THB71.94 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.15 | $1.97 THB65.80 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.90 | $4.31 THB144.06 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.45 | $53.45 THB1,784.85 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.64 | $6.32 THB210.93 | |
United States vs. Thailand - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
pay 22.8% less for clothing
United States | Thailand | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $51.08 | $37.08 THB1,238.14 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.81 | $29.48 THB984.35 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.56 | $91.15 THB3,043.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.04 | $69.13 THB2,308.15 | |
United States vs. Thailand - Cost of clothing
Improve prices · Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: United States vs. Thailand
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Thailand?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 11 statistics
Be 74.9% less likely to be unemployed in Thailand
→
Size Comparison · See true size
United States is about 19 times bigger than Thailand.
→
Moving from United States to Thailand · UN DESA 2020
4,211 people born in United States live in Thailand.
→
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thailand or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.

