Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gaborone

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $845 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
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Gaborone Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $845 in Gaborone, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gaborone $845

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,307 in Gaborone, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gaborone $1,307

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,768 in Gaborone, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gaborone $1,768

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Gaborone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Gaborone are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Gaborone 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$10.88 P 147

-79.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$29.05 P 392

-34.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.76 P 77.8

-3.65%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.35 P 31.67

-28.94%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.68 P 9.24

-5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.40 P 5.46

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.01 P 27.17

17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.48 P 33.44

47.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.48 P 19.94

31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.84 P 11.30

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.78 P 24.04

-25.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.44 P 32.90

-6.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.52 P 88.0

152.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.43 P 59.8

-37.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.99 P 67.3

86.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.59 P 21.40

47.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.45 P 19.49

-33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.98 P 26.74

-19.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.67 P 22.47

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.30 P 17.47

-1.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.21 P 16.29

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.28 P 17.27

-44.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.97 P 13.10

-49.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.60 P 48.56

15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$4.25 P 57.3

312.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.38 P 18.68

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.78 P 24.04

56.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.62 P 8.40

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$29.95 P 404

80.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.60 P 8.14

93.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.46 P 33.24

-78.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.93 P 39.52

-17.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.32 P 17.84

9.85%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.0K P 404.8K

-29.83%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$20.1K P 271.2K

34.00%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$61.0 P 823

1.97%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.34 P 247

-33.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$43.67 P 589

-53.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$34.07 P 460

9.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.29 P 220

-76.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.23 P 84.1

4.17%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$129 P 1,744

469.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,545 P 34.3K

480.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$48.15 P 650

10.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$16.72 P 226

47.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$72.1 P 972

26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$78.6 P 1,060

-8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$353 P 4,763

36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$209 P 2,824

47.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$534 P 7,198

88.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$356 P 4,802

77.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,034 P 27.4K

16.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,260 P 17.0K

26.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$451 P 6,087

30.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.33

-50.84%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gaborone: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gaborone

$209 24.8% 32.2% $100

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gaborone

$172 20.3% 26.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gaborone

$97 11.5% 10.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gaborone

$123 14.6% 30.2% $29

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gaborone

$152 18% 95.8% $74

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gaborone

$45 5.4% 26.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gaborone

$47 5.5% 7.5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $353 in Gaborone. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Gaborone. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $172 in Gaborone – so Gaborone wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

10:21 10:21 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

231,626 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.05 BWP (100 BWP = 6.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Gaborone 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gaborone

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 Gaborone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Gaborone, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,267 in Gaborone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gaborone, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $353 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $129 in Gaborone. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Gaborone – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Gaborone. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.