Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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 Hillcrest
Learn more

Hillcrest Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Hillcrest $2,292

Chiang Mai is about 13% cheaper than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Hillcrest are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hillcrest 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$7.87 R 129

-72.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$38.34 R 629

-51.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.01 R 98.6

-6.82%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.71 R 44.53

-38.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.14 R 18.70

-42.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.90 R 14.71

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.45 R 40.23

-5.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.50 R 41.05

46.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.18 R 19.28

71.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.98 R 16.13

43.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.50 R 24.59

-7.33%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.32 R 38.10

2.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$8.19 R 134

101.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$5.05 R 82.8

-47.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.27 R 119

24.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.29 R 21.22

86.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.93 R 31.60

-46.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.95 R 31.93

-14.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.73 R 28.43

-9.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.46 R 23.99

-15.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.44 R 23.67

-24.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.21 R 19.77

-37.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.14 R 18.71

-55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.71 R 60.8

11.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$4.80 R 78.7

273.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.41 R 23.10

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.96 R 32.19

43.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.54 R 25.19

-39.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.44 R 7.14

168.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.71 R 11.61

-76.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.70 R 126

-76.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.45 R 23.84

1.38%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$35.2K R 577.7K

-40.32%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$33.1K R 542.3K

-19.78%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$153 R 2,511

-59.12%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$35.61 R 584

-67.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$39.04 R 641

-48.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$33.00 R 541

14.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.55 R 222

-72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.29 R 120

-10.70%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$310 R 5,092

134.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$7,429 R 121.9K

123.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$51.6 R 846

3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$27.96 R 459

-11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$97.0 R 1,591

-6.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$79.2 R 1,299

-9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$377 R 6,179

27.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$353 R 5,785

-12.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$640 R 10.5K

65.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$732 R 12.0K

-10.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$764 R 12.5K

216.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$575 R 9,430

179.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.78

-52.72%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 13.8% $43

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 20% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 6.2% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 141% $133

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 81.5% $62

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 82.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 6.5% $3.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $377 in Hillcrest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Hillcrest. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $189 in Hillcrest – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hillcrest 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hillcrest costs about 16% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $38 in Hillcrest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Hillcrest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,081 in Hillcrest. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,081 in Hillcrest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.