Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kuruman

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,162 in Kuruman, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuruman
Learn more

Kuruman Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kuruman

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,162 in Kuruman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kuruman $1,162

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,815 in Kuruman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kuruman $1,815

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,468 in Kuruman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kuruman $2,468

Chiang Mai is about 19% cheaper than Kuruman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Kuruman are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kuruman 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$10.85 R 179

-80.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$37.97 R 626

-50.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.59 R 92.1

0.18%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.85 R 30.49

-10.27%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.14 R 18.82

-42.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.59 R 9.66

-49.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.45 R 40.42

-5.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.68 R 44.16

36.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.14 R 18.84

77.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$1.31 R 21.55

7.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.78 R 29.27

-21.91%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.26 R 70.2

-44.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$8.52 R 140

93.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$5.05 R 83.3

-47.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$7.49 R 123

20.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.85 R 30.52

29.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.63 R 26.81

-36.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.77 R 29.21

-6.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$1.66 R 27.42

-6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$1.43 R 23.56

-13.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.42 R 23.39

-23.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.18 R 19.41

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$1.18 R 19.37

-56.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.64 R 60.1

13.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$4.93 R 81.3

263.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.45 R 23.84

11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$1.89 R 31.19

49.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.56 R 25.74

-40.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$0.85 R 14.05

38.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.82 R 13.51

-79.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$13.01 R 214

-86.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.49 R 24.52

-1.34%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$30.4K R 501.3K

-30.93%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$30.8K R 507.9K

-13.97%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$153 R 2,528

-59.22%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$34.83 R 574

-66.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$37.52 R 618

-45.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$32.98 R 544

14.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$10.85 R 179

-65.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$6.48 R 107

0.46%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$265 R 4,364

174.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$6,306 R 103.9K

162.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$54.2 R 892

-1.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$34.07 R 561

-27.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$98.2 R 1,618

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$85.0 R 1,400

-15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$438 R 7,220

9.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$403 R 6,648

-23.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$650 R 10.7K

62.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$836 R 13.8K

-21.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$799 R 13.2K

202.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$679 R 11.2K

136.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,098 R 18.1K

-45.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.92

-48.99%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kuruman: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kuruman

$403 34.7% 30.2% $93

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kuruman

$203 17.5% 14.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kuruman

$122 10.5% 12.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kuruman

$226 19.4% 139% $131

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kuruman

$150 12.9% 96.3% $74

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kuruman

$11 * 1% 80.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kuruman

$46 4% 9.7% $5

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 $438 in Kuruman. 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 85% higher in Kuruman. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Kuruman. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $203 in Kuruman – so Kuruman wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Kuruman

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,093

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kuruman 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kuruman

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 Kuruman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuruman costs about 24% 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 $1,743 in Kuruman. 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 $438 in Kuruman. 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 $38 in Kuruman. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Kuruman – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,162 in Kuruman. 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 $1,162 in Kuruman. 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, Kuruman makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.