Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 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
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
Learn more

Masterton Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $841 in Masterton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Masterton $841

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,446 in Masterton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Masterton $1,446

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,051 in Masterton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Masterton $2,051

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$9.26 NZ$16.44

-75.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$65.0 NZ$115

-70.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.77 NZ$15.58

-36.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.35 NZ$5.95

-50.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.95 NZ$3.46

-67.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.11 NZ$1.97

-72.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.96 NZ$7.04

-40.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.40 NZ$6.04

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.46 NZ$2.59

33.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-32.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.10 NZ$1.95

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$6.49 NZ$11.51

-64.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.59 NZ$15.25

91.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.94 NZ$17.65

-72.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.03 NZ$26.69

-38.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.22 NZ$3.93

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.81 NZ$3.21

-46.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.04 NZ$5.40

-47.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.48 NZ$7.95

-66.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.51 NZ$2.69

-15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.09 NZ$1.94

0.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.71 NZ$3.04

-58.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.52 NZ$0.93

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$19.90 NZ$35.33

-79.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.48 NZ$20.39

52.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.88 NZ$1.56

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.22 NZ$2.17

127.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$2.23 NZ$3.97

-60.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-38.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.80 NZ$3.20

-70.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$33.98 NZ$60.3

-92.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.73 NZ$3.08

-16.18%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

-7.90%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

12.85%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$56.0 NZ$99.5

10.96%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$29.91 NZ$53.1

-59.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$53.4 NZ$94.8

-62.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$42.36 NZ$75.2

-11.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.22 NZ$14.59

-54.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.47 NZ$16.81

-31.47%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,038 NZ$1,844

-29.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

10.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$56.7 NZ$101

-5.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.47 NZ$50.6

-13.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$105 NZ$186

-12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$141 NZ$250

-48.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,019 NZ$1,809

-1.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,339 NZ$4,152

-74.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.39

3.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Masterton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Masterton

$293 34.8% 24.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Masterton

$149 17.7% 36.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Masterton

$139 16.6% 47.5% $45

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Masterton

$179 21.3% 131% $102

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Masterton

$20 * 2.4% 67.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Masterton

$61 7.3% 21.9% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Masterton are about 4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $65 in Masterton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $293 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇿 Masterton

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

6 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Masterton 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Masterton

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 Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Masterton, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,262 in Masterton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $65 in Masterton. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $841 in Masterton to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.