Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,193 in Knysna, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Knysna $2,357

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Knysna are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Knysna 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$9.44 R 157

-77.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$39.22 R 654

-52.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$5.80 R 96.6

-3.45%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.09 R 34.77

-20.57%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$1.04 R 17.36

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.74 R 12.31

-59.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.36 R 39.28

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.72 R 45.37

34.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.16 R 19.41

74.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.00 R 16.63

41.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.49 R 24.84

-6.71%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.70 R 45.04

-12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.56 R 143

92.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.87 R 81.2

-45.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$8.10 R 135

11.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.63 R 27.22

47.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.46 R 24.28

-28.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.56 R 26.03

6.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.52 R 25.30

2.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.66 R 27.68

-25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.43 R 23.91

-23.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.22 R 20.27

-37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$1.02 R 17.06

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.19 R 53.1

29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$4.72 R 78.7

279.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.19 R 19.79

36.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.46 R 24.28

93.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$1.79 R 29.81

-48.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$0.83 R 13.80

42.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.52 R 8.64

-67.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$8.29 R 138

-78.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.47 R 24.53

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$23.4K R 389.8K

-10.16%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$28.2K R 470.6K

-6.11%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$110 R 1,838

-43.28%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$32.86 R 548

-64.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$43.51 R 725

-53.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$47.47 R 791

-20.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$10.83 R 181

-65.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$8.55 R 142

-23.86%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$176 R 2,938

312.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$5,855 R 97.6K

183.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$41.94 R 699

27.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$33.00 R 550

-24.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$107 R 1,789

-15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$75.9 R 1,264

-5.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$505 R 8,409

-4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$486 R 8,105

-36.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$808 R 13.5K

30.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$794 R 13.2K

-17.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$755 R 12.6K

220.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,011 R 16.8K

59.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$940 R 15.7K

-36.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.83

-52.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Knysna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 56.9% $176

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 21.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 7.2% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 97.6% $92

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 85.9% $66

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 82% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 26.8% $14

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 $505 in Knysna. 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 58% higher in Knysna. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Knysna. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $187 in Knysna – so Knysna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

07:51 7:51 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

51,078

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Knysna 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Knysna

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 Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Knysna costs about 28% 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 $1,790 in Knysna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $505 in Knysna. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $39 in Knysna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Knysna – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,193 in Knysna. 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 $1,193 in Knysna. 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, Knysna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.