Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Emalahleni Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Emalahleni

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 32.2% cheaper than Emalahleni without rent, and 19.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 30.3% cheaper than Emalahleni without rent, and 18.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$11.18 R 183

-82.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$44.51 R 730

-58.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$4.85 R 79.6

63.30%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.7

$2.16 R 35.38

-6.48%

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

$0.84 ฿26.45

$0.99 R 16.29

-15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.07

$0.78 R 12.71

-55.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$2.69 R 44.17

-17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$2.45 R 40.14

46.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.4

$1.20 R 19.69

39.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$0.95 R 15.65

70.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.83

$1.66 R 27.28

-27.71%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$1.98 R 32.53

-2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$8.02 R 132

99.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$4.00 R 65.7

-21.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿344

$5.68 R 93.2

92.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$1.41 R 23.13

89.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.99

$1.39 R 22.72

-15.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$1.42 R 23.32

15.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.83

$1.36 R 22.37

16.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.64

$1.43 R 23.45

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.49

$0.92 R 15.15

29.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.20

$1.09 R 17.82

-34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.75

$0.90 R 14.77

-37.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$2.78 R 45.60

66.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$6.15 R 101

208.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$1.24 R 20.27

42.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$1.53 R 25.05

109.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.32

$2.44 R 40.05

-63.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

$116 R 1,896

-83.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.78

$0.70 R 11.50

94.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.37

$0.97 R 15.84

39.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$3.94 R 64.7

106.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.43

$1.24 R 20.33

-1.61%

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

$21.4K ฿671.8K

$22.7K R 371.7K

-5.71%

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

$21.7K ฿683.8K

$23.9K R 391.5K

-8.89%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$113 R 1,852

-37.76%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$41.04 R 673

-66.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$42.55 R 698

-57.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,314

$33.95 R 557

23.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

$22.76 R 373

-70.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$5.66 R 92.9

1.06%

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

$308 ฿9,693

$209 R 3,427

47.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.7K

$1,383 R 22.7K

971.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,756

$49.76 R 816

12.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿840

$34.03 R 558

-21.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,658

$89.0 R 1,460

-5.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,227

$79.3 R 1,300

-10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

$360 R 5,896

19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,439

$246 R 4,037

-3.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

$693 R 11.4K

16.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

$453 R 7,424

10.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

$279 R 4,570

690.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

$154 R 2,527

938.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$1,697 R 27.8K

-59.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

-56.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Emalahleni: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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