Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bellville

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,101 in Bellville, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bellville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $1,101 in Bellville.

Chiang Mai $935
Bellville $1,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,704 in Bellville.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bellville $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $2,307 in Bellville.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bellville $2,307

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 15% less than in Bellville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bellville 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$12.16 R 199

-82.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$24.21 R 397

-23.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.17 R 101

-9.24%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.88 R 30.77

-11.70%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.32 R 21.69

-50.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.93 R 15.30

-67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.24 R 36.78

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.53 R 58.0

3.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.32 R 21.65

53.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.22 R 20.02

15.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$2.13 R 34.98

-34.74%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$3.18 R 52.1

-25.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$8.84 R 145

86.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$6.70 R 110

-60.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$9.30 R 153

-3.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.92 R 31.50

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.97 R 32.31

-47.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.73 R 28.43

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.05 R 33.63

-23.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.55 R 25.49

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.47 R 24.18

-25.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.30 R 21.36

-41.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.19 R 19.56

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.54 R 58.2

16.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$6.16 R 101

191.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.34 R 22.04

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.12 R 34.77

33.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.61 R 26.44

-42.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.86 R 14.16

37.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.85 R 13.96

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$4.85 R 79.6

-62.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.61 R 26.40

-8.70%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$34.6K R 567.1K

-39.21%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$33.1K R 543.8K

-20.00%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$119 R 1,949

-47.35%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$25.71 R 422

-54.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$40.82 R 670

-50.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$34.14 R 560

10.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$11.66 R 191

-68.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$9.26 R 152

-29.70%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$299 R 4,911

142.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$8,126 R 133.3K

103.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$57.4 R 942

-6.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$32.43 R 532

-23.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$119 R 1,953

-24.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$101 R 1,664

-29.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$445 R 7,293

8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$322 R 5,290

-3.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$811 R 13.3K

30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$661 R 10.8K

-0.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$789 R 12.9K

206.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$709 R 11.6K

126.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.89

-48.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bellville: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bellville

$322 29.3% 4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bellville

$224 20.3% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bellville

$140 12.7% 28.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bellville

$185 16.8% 96.2% $91

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bellville

$166 15% 116% $89

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bellville

$12 * 1.1% 80.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bellville

$53 4.8% 3.5% $1.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $445 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $24 in Bellville. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $224, with Bellville cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

112,507

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bellville 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bellville

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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Bellville. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,651 in Bellville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $445 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bellville pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $935 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,101 in Bellville – Chiang Mai is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Chiang Mai and Bellville are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.