Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,820 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in New Plymouth

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,820 in New Plymouth, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
New Plymouth $1,820

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,828 in New Plymouth, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
New Plymouth $2,828

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,836 in New Plymouth, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
New Plymouth $3,836

Chiang Mai is about 49% cheaper than New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while New Plymouth is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.43 NZ$22.09

-81.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$67.9 NZ$121

-72.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.44 NZ$14.99

-34.24%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.34 NZ$5.94

-50.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.12 NZ$3.77

-69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-83.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.32 NZ$9.46

-55.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.65 NZ$10.04

-35.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.44 NZ$2.56

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.25 NZ$2.22

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-19.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.53 NZ$9.83

-58.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.52 NZ$9.80

198.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$7.19 NZ$12.78

-61.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.42 NZ$20.31

-18.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.63 NZ$4.67

-10.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.86 NZ$3.30

-47.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-45.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.12 NZ$10.87

-75.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.99 NZ$3.53

-35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.41 NZ$2.51

-21.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-62.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.32 NZ$2.35

-62.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$23.12 NZ$41.09

-82.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.73 NZ$15.53

100.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.03 NZ$5.38

-46.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.78 NZ$6.73

-26.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.68 NZ$2.99

-48.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$74.6 NZ$133

-27.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.68 NZ$6.54

-68.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.67 NZ$2.97

-13.17%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$28.7K NZ$51.0K

-26.56%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

18.21%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$130 NZ$231

-52.12%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$27.85 NZ$49.50

-56.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$48.35 NZ$86.0

-58.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$43.29 NZ$77.0

-13.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.20 NZ$14.57

-20.85%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$680 NZ$1,208

8.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

-36.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$61.3 NZ$109

-12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$38.74 NZ$68.9

-36.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$90.6 NZ$161

0.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$106 NZ$188

-32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$907 NZ$1,613

-46.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$836 NZ$1,487

-63.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,740 NZ$3,093

-42.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,589 NZ$2,824

-60.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,209 NZ$5,704

-26.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,622 NZ$4,661

-39.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,787 NZ$4,954

-78.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.93

-6.07%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

New Plymouth

$836 45.9% 171% $527

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

New Plymouth

$281 15.5% 20% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

New Plymouth

$133 7.3% 22.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

New Plymouth

$206 11.3% 118% $112

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

New Plymouth

$219 12% 182% $141

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 38.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

New Plymouth

$60 3.3% 18.7% $9.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $907 in New Plymouth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New Plymouth are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $68 in New Plymouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $281 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

6 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

58,400

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 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 New Plymouth 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
New Plymouth

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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth costs about 95% 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 $2,731 in New Plymouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $907 in New Plymouth.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $680 in New Plymouth. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in New Plymouth, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,820 in New Plymouth. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,820 in New Plymouth. 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, New Plymouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.