Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hartebeespoort

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Hartebeespoort: $935 and $946 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Hartebeespoort
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Hartebeespoort Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Hartebeespoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $946 in Hartebeespoort, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Hartebeespoort $946

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,491 in Hartebeespoort, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Hartebeespoort $1,491

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,035 in Hartebeespoort, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Hartebeespoort $2,035

Chiang Mai and Hartebeespoort have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Hartebeespoort are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hartebeespoort 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$8.32 R 138

-74.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$37.40 R 618

-50.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.87 R 97.1

-4.60%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.09 R 34.50

-20.57%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.06 R 17.49

-38.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.92 R 15.14

-67.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$2.39 R 39.55

-2.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.64 R 43.68

39.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.08 R 17.91

87.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.05 R 17.42

34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.53 R 25.35

-9.15%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.57 R 42.51

-7.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$7.33 R 121

125.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$4.73 R 78.3

-43.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$6.48 R 107

39.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.54 R 25.43

55.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.45 R 23.95

-28.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.45 R 23.93

14.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.47 R 24.38

6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.20 R 19.84

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.25 R 20.60

-12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.98 R 16.17

-22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.93 R 15.33

-45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.93 R 48.43

40.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$4.89 R 80.8

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.35 R 22.31

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$1.97 R 32.63

43.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$2.46 R 40.65

-62.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$48.81 R 807

8.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$0.83 R 13.68

42.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.87 R 14.44

-80.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$4.27 R 70.6

-57.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.48 R 24.53

-0.68%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$20.1K R 332.6K

4.42%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$26.7K R 440.6K

-0.53%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$102 R 1,682

-38.53%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$24.09 R 398

-51.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$32.67 R 540

-37.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$31.93 R 528

18.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$9.24 R 153

-59.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$6.01 R 99.3

8.32%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$218 R 3,597

234.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$4,557 R 75.3K

263.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$40.75 R 674

31.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$26.35 R 436

-5.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$72.6 R 1,201

24.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$54.5 R 901

31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$249 R 4,116

93.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$284 R 4,695

9.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$615 R 10.2K

72.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$569 R 9,398

15.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$448 R 7,397

440.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$577 R 9,540

178.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,024 R 33.5K

-70.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.91

-48.95%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hartebeespoort: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Hartebeespoort

$284 30% 8.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Hartebeespoort

$174 18.4% 26.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Hartebeespoort

$87 9.2% 19.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hartebeespoort

$159 16.8% 67.8% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Hartebeespoort

$134 14.2% 75.5% $58

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Hartebeespoort

$64 6.8% 8.8% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Hartebeespoort

$44 4.6% 13.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $249 in Hartebeespoort. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hartebeespoort are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Hartebeespoort. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $174 in Hartebeespoort – so Hartebeespoort wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Hartebeespoort

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

19:39 7:39 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,732

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hartebeespoort 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hartebeespoort

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 Hartebeespoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,419 in Hartebeespoort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hartebeespoort, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $249 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Hartebeespoort. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Hartebeespoort. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $946 in Hartebeespoort. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $946 in Hartebeespoort. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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