Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and North Shore

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,123 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in North Shore

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,123 in North Shore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
North Shore $2,123

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,945 in North Shore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
North Shore $2,945

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,766 in North Shore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
North Shore $3,766

Chiang Mai is about 56% cheaper than North Shore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while North Shore is 56% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.99 NZ$24.87

-83.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$75.3 NZ$134

-74.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.51 NZ$15.12

-34.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.44 NZ$6.11

-51.45%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-67.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-83.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.68 NZ$11.87

-64.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.77 NZ$10.26

-36.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.62 NZ$2.88

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.34 NZ$2.38

7.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-26.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.76 NZ$10.24

-60.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.01 NZ$14.24

105.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.01 NZ$17.79

-72.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.77 NZ$20.93

-20.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.68 NZ$4.77

-12.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-54.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.16 NZ$5.62

-49.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.03 NZ$10.72

-75.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.08 NZ$3.69

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.52 NZ$2.70

-27.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.50 NZ$4.44

-71.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.93 NZ$1.65

-47.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$25.31 NZ$44.98

-83.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.50 NZ$18.66

66.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.74 NZ$4.88

-41.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.29 NZ$5.85

-15.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.32 NZ$4.13

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$61.4 NZ$109

-11.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.31 NZ$4.11

-49.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.97 NZ$3.51

-73.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$32.86 NZ$58.4

-92.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.74 NZ$3.09

-16.67%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$26.9K NZ$47.8K

-21.64%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

21.82%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$182 NZ$323

-65.80%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$26.22 NZ$46.61

-53.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$51.4 NZ$91.3

-60.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.58 NZ$49.02

35.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.07 NZ$21.45

-46.23%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$686 NZ$1,220

7.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$14.5K NZ$25.9K

1.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$69.1 NZ$123

-22.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.67 NZ$67.0

-34.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$95.3 NZ$169

-4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$107 NZ$191

-32.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,328 NZ$2,361

-63.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,042 NZ$1,851

-70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,240 NZ$3,983

-55.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,326 NZ$2,356

-52.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

-67.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

-73.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,856 NZ$5,077

-79.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.63

-15.99%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for North Shore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

North Shore

$1K 49% 237% $733

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

North Shore

$310 14.6% 32.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

North Shore

$139 6.6% 28.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

North Shore

$259 12.2% 175% $165

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

North Shore

$239 11.3% 208% $161

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

North Shore

$83 3.9% 35.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

North Shore

$52 2.4% 2.9% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,328 in North Shore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in North Shore are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $75 in North Shore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $310 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇿 North Shore

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

23:13 11:13 PM

6 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

258,697

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai North Shore 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
North Shore

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 North Shore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Shore costs about 127% 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 $3,185 in North Shore. 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 $1,328 in North Shore.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $686 in North Shore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in North Shore, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,123 in North Shore. 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 $2,123 in North Shore. 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, North Shore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.