Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Burgersfort

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,095 in Burgersfort, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Burgersfort
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Burgersfort Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Burgersfort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,095

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Burgersfort actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $1,095 in Burgersfort.

Chiang Mai $935
Burgersfort $1,095

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,726 in Burgersfort.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Burgersfort $1,726

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $2,356 in Burgersfort.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Burgersfort $2,356

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$8.87 R 145

-75.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$36.17 R 594

-48.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.40 R 88.6

3.70%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.26 R 37.10

-26.55%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.03 R 16.88

-36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.80 R 13.10

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.38 R 38.99

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.55 R 58.3

3.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.19 R 19.55

69.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.10 R 18.02

28.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.84 R 30.25

-24.46%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.54 R 41.60

-6.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$8.61 R 141

91.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$5.10 R 83.6

-47.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.40 R 121

21.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.80 R 29.52

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.68 R 27.59

-38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.77 R 29.10

-6.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.62 R 26.51

-3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.13 R 18.54

9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.21 R 19.90

-9.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.23 R 20.16

-38.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.33 R 21.74

-61.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.27 R 53.6

25.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$5.20 R 85.3

244.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.58 R 25.93

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.95 R 32.03

44.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.63 R 26.69

-42.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.29 R 4.72

306.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.82 R 13.41

-79.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$14.57 R 239

-87.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.59 R 26.17

-7.55%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$34.9K R 572.4K

-39.77%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$34.8K R 570.3K

-23.72%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$154 R 2,530

-59.44%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$36.79 R 604

-68.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$37.62 R 617

-46.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$29.60 R 486

27.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.08 R 215

-71.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.27 R 119

-10.45%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$258 R 4,230

181.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$6,103 R 100.1K

171.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$52.9 R 868

1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$32.55 R 534

-23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$90.4 R 1,483

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$82.3 R 1,351

-12.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$427 R 7,003

12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$357 R 5,861

-13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$802 R 13.2K

31.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$788 R 12.9K

-16.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$754 R 12.4K

220.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$609 R 9,988

164.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.34

-50.88%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Burgersfort: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Burgersfort

$357 32.6% 15.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Burgersfort

$197 18% 16.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Burgersfort

$116 10.6% 7.2% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Burgersfort

$229 20.9% 142% $134

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Burgersfort

$141 12.8% 83.6% $64

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Burgersfort

$11 * 1% 81.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Burgersfort

$44 4% 13.3% $6.8

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 $427 in Burgersfort. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $36 in Burgersfort. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $197, with Burgersfort cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Burgersfort

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,000

💱 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 Burgersfort 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Burgersfort

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 Burgersfort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,095 in Burgersfort, so Chiang Mai is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,642 in Burgersfort 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 $427 in Burgersfort. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Burgersfort pay roughly 17% 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 $1,095 in Burgersfort – 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 Burgersfort are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.