Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,040 per month in Ashburton vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ashburton $2,040
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,892 per month in Ashburton vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ashburton $2,892
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,745 per month in Ashburton vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ashburton $3,745
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ashburton costs about 118% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ashburton sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.48 NZ$25.74

$2.24 ฿75.6

546.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 NZ$124

$19.00 ฿641

267.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 NZ$16.49

$5.55 ฿187

67.21%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.86

$1.67 ฿56.5

97.60%

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

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$0.64 ฿21.55

254.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.33

$0.31 ฿10.31

503.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.99

$2.36 ฿79.6

185.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 NZ$12.41

$3.66 ฿124

90.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.95 ฿65.8

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 NZ$3.19

$1.44 ฿48.48

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.33 ฿45.04

6.02%

Eggs

$6.04 NZ$10.73

$2.28 ฿77.1

164.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 NZ$12.94

$16.45 ฿555

-55.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 NZ$16.83

$2.78 ฿93.9

240.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 NZ$23.95

$9.31 ฿314

44.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 NZ$4.41

$2.35 ฿79.4

5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$0.97 ฿32.80

108.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.86

$1.60 ฿53.9

71.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.45

$1.50 ฿50.6

104.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.70

$1.28 ฿43.12

18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.10 ฿37.19

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$0.71 ฿23.82

221.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$0.49 ฿16.37

161.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.04 NZ$42.73

$4.14 ฿140

480.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 NZ$14.85

$17.52 ฿591

-52.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 NZ$6.22

$1.61 ฿54.5

117.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.90

$2.78 ฿94.0

59.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 NZ$3.13

$0.87 ฿29.31

102.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 NZ$161

$54.1 ฿1,826

67.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$1.16 ฿39.06

114.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$0.53 ฿17.80

216.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.87 NZ$51.3

$2.42 ฿81.8

1092.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.45 ฿48.90

33.10%

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

$28.0K NZ$49.8K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

33.03%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-13.49%

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

$157 NZ$280

$62.2 ฿2,098

153.03%

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

$23.27 NZ$41.36

$12.17 ฿411

91.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.99 NZ$80.0

$20.12 ฿679

123.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.50 NZ$70.2

$37.31 ฿1,259

5.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.67 NZ$20.75

$6.49 ฿219

79.82%

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

$676 NZ$1,202

$736 ฿24.8K

-8.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

46.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NZ$106

$53.4 ฿1,801

11.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 NZ$71.5

$24.64 ฿831

63.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$91.5 ฿3,087

11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$221

$71.9 ฿2,428

72.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 NZ$1,642

$482 ฿16.3K

91.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 NZ$1,687

$309 ฿10.4K

207.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 NZ$3,347

$1,006 ฿33.9K

87.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,290

$633 ฿21.4K

103.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,025 NZ$8,933

$2,363 ฿79.8K

112.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,445 NZ$6,123

$1,589 ฿53.6K

116.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.57

6.10%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$949 46.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 67.5% $640

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.8% $65

Eating Out

Ashburton

$248 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.7% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$226 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$147 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.9% $38

Getting Around

Ashburton

$109 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 43.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$63 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Ashburton 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 $70 in Ashburton versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

6 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

127,240

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburton Chiang Mai 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
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

Ashburton vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,040 in Ashburton, $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 54% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,060 per month in Ashburton 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 $924 in Ashburton.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Ashburton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,040 in Ashburton and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,040 in Ashburton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.