Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mutare

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $780 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$780

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $780 in Mutare, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Mutare $780

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,212 in Mutare, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Mutare $1,212

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,643 in Mutare, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Mutare $1,643

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Mutare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mutare are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mutare 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$9.80 ZWL 260

-78.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$44.81 ZWL 1,189

-58.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$4.48 ZWL 119

25.00%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.21 ZWL 32.22

37.19%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$0.73 ZWL 19.31

-10.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$0.47 ZWL 12.35

-36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$1.24 ZWL 32.84

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$1.84 ZWL 48.80

99.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$1.22 ZWL 32.51

65.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

43.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$1.27 ZWL 33.79

9.45%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$1.92 ZWL 50.9

23.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$2.97 ZWL 78.9

456.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$3.91 ZWL 104

-31.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

$5.12 ZWL 136

76.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$2.06 ZWL 54.6

16.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$1.72 ZWL 45.56

-39.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$2.05 ZWL 54.5

-19.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$1.03 ZWL 27.31

51.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$1.67 ZWL 44.33

-25.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$0.97 ZWL 25.80

12.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$0.52 ZWL 13.81

46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$1.00 ZWL 26.47

-49.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$1.19 ZWL 31.49

246.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$5.85 ZWL 155

206.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$1.22 ZWL 32.45

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$1.67 ZWL 44.26

68.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$0.73 ZWL 19.26

27.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$27.36 ZWL 726

93.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$2.98 ZWL 79.1

-60.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$2.03 ZWL 53.9

-91.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$5.05 ZWL 134

-64.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.81 ZWL 47.99

-18.78%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$21.8K ZWL 577.9K

-3.50%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$24.1K ZWL 640.4K

9.89%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$50.3 ZWL 1,336

24.27%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$14.71 ZWL 390

-21.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$59.6 ZWL 1,583

-65.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$39.90 ZWL 1,059

-5.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$4.95 ZWL 131

-25.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$10.17 ZWL 270

-35.99%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$150 ZWL 3,983

384.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$8,598 ZWL 228.2K

92.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$9.93 ZWL 263

439.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$9.69 ZWL 257

155.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$25.39 ZWL 674

256.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$20.14 ZWL 534

257.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$356 ZWL 9,447

35.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$247 ZWL 6,542

25.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$747 ZWL 19.8K

41.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$393 ZWL 10.4K

67.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$254 ZWL 6,751

850.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$254 ZWL 6,728

134.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.69

-59.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mutare: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Mutare

$247 31.6% 20.5% $63

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Mutare

$155 19.8% 34.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Mutare

$29 3.8% 72.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mutare

$125 16% 32% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Mutare

$121 15.5% 58.1% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Mutare

$43 5.6% 26% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Mutare

$60 7.7% 18.3% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $356 in Mutare. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $45 in Mutare. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $155 in Mutare – so Mutare wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇼 Mutare

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

188,243

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 26.54 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.82 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Mutare 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mutare

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 Mutare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Mutare, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,170 in Mutare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mutare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $356 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $150 in Mutare. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Mutare – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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