Side by side

Madison vs Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai wins on more metrics — 3–4 on the 8 core metrics we track. Detail below.

Metric

Madison

Chiang Mai

Cost of living

B vs A: -71%

102

30✓

Rent · 1BR center

B vs A: -74%

$1,550

$400✓

Effective tax (remote)

B vs A: -100%

25%

0%✓

Healthcare

B vs A: -10%

80✓

Safety

B vs A: ≈ same

Internet

B vs A: -17%

240✓

200

Climate

B vs A: +13%

68✓

Freedom

B vs A: -57%

70✓

Lakes, a great university, biking culture, and one of the highest quality-of-life scores in the Midwest.

Quieter, cheaper Thailand. Long-standing nomad hub with serious tradeoffs around burn-season air quality (Feb-Apr).