Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and George

For one person, living costs are similar in Bangkok and in George: $1,125 and $1,110 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,125

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in George

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bangkok and in George actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,125 in Bangkok versus $1,110 in George.

Bangkok $1,125
George $1,110

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Bangkok versus $1,847 in George.

Bangkok $1,837
George $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Bangkok versus $2,584 in George.

Bangkok $2,549
George $2,584

Monthly costs are close between Bangkok and George; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 17% lower, George 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿97.9

$10.85 R 180

-73.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.48 ฿1,196

$41.91 R 696

-15.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 ฿248

$4.95 R 82.2

48.89%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿92.0

$2.13 R 35.40

28.17%

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

$0.67 ฿22.71

$1.05 R 17.50

-36.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.93

$0.78 R 12.88

-58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿88.7

$2.70 R 44.87

-2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ฿153

$3.25 R 54.0

39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿62.2

$1.15 R 19.05

60.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.87

$1.01 R 16.83

46.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.50 R 24.97

-6.00%

Eggs

$2.60 ฿87.7

$2.79 R 46.39

-6.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿583

$8.68 R 144

99.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ฿120

$5.29 R 87.8

-32.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ฿428

$6.70 R 111

89.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ฿125

$1.68 R 27.86

120.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿58.1

$1.55 R 25.67

10.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.4

$1.49 R 24.74

83.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 ฿66.1

$1.73 R 28.75

13.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.71 R 28.34

-2.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.40 R 23.21

7.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.79

$1.25 R 20.71

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.93

$0.99 R 16.52

-49.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ฿162

$3.20 R 53.1

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 ฿502

$4.97 R 82.6

199.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿62.0

$1.28 R 21.33

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ฿108

$1.75 R 29.03

84.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.26

$1.48 R 24.51

-31.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.37 ฿1,192

$27.91 R 464

26.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.41

$0.64 R 10.62

64.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.57

$0.48 R 7.91

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ฿205

$8.64 R 144

-29.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿48.20

$1.25 R 20.77

14.40%

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

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$29.9K R 496.9K

2.88%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$30.0K R 498.0K

-10.34%

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

$109 ฿3,660

$123 R 2,042

-11.66%

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

$14.94 ฿503

$17.56 R 292

-14.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ฿608

$46.26 R 768

-60.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ฿1,896

$30.43 R 506

84.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.45 ฿622

$10.78 R 179

71.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ฿251

$5.93 R 98.4

25.80%

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

$802 ฿27.0K

$139 R 2,312

476.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ฿572.1K

$5,219 R 86.7K

225.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ฿2,411

$72.1 R 1,197

-0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.12 ฿1,419

$38.64 R 642

9.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 ฿3,272

$112 R 1,855

-13.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,596

$86.8 R 1,441

23.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 ฿24.0K

$429 R 7,127

66.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ฿11.7K

$362 R 6,021

-4.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 ฿74.8K

$770 R 12.8K

188.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ฿27.6K

$935 R 15.5K

-12.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,948 ฿200.5K

$855 R 14.2K

595.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 ฿106.2K

$690 R 11.5K

356.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ฿20.6K

$1,339 R 22.2K

-54.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

10.92

-51.92%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 25, 2026

Last update for George: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$347 30.9%

George

$362 32.6% 4.5% $16

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$271 24.1%

George

$188 17% 30.6% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.7%

George

$139 12.5% 2.6% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$142 12.6%

George

$187 16.8% 31.9% $45

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.3%

George

$155 13.9% 48.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.3%

George

$42 3.8% 40.6% $29

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.1%

George

$37 3.3% 20.8% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $713 in Bangkok and $429 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Bangkok vs $42 in George. Groceries flip the comparison at $271 vs $188, with George cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

07:05 7:05 AM

5 h behind Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

188,580

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bangkok George 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangkok
George

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

Bangkok vs George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Bangkok. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $713 in Bangkok versus $429 in George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George runs roughly 21% less than in Bangkok. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Bangkok. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though George gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bangkok and George are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.