Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Oudtshoorn

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,151 in Oudtshoorn, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Oudtshoorn
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Oudtshoorn Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Oudtshoorn

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,151 in Oudtshoorn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Oudtshoorn $1,151

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,686 in Oudtshoorn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Oudtshoorn $1,686

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,220 in Oudtshoorn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Oudtshoorn $2,220

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

Both Chiang Mai and Oudtshoorn are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Oudtshoorn 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$8.44 R 138

-74.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$33.62 R 552

-44.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.83 R 95.7

-3.95%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.26 R 37.13

-26.55%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.89 R 14.67

-26.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.92 R 15.04

-67.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.33 R 38.25

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.41 R 39.51

52.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.07 R 17.53

88.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.00 R 16.38

41.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.66 R 27.16

-16.27%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.52 R 41.31

-5.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$8.09 R 133

104.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.84 R 79.5

-44.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.84 R 129

15.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.88 R 30.87

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.50 R 24.54

-30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.86 R 30.60

-10.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.50 R 24.66

4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.27 R 20.78

-2.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.46 R 23.93

-25.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.22 R 19.97

-37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$1.34 R 21.99

-61.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.63 R 59.6

13.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$5.42 R 89.0

230.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.50 R 24.66

8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.84 R 30.26

53.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.82 R 29.80

-48.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.89 R 14.68

32.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.86 R 14.06

-80.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$10.04 R 165

-81.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.46 R 24.02

0.68%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$36.4K R 597.4K

-42.29%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$33.1K R 542.7K

-19.84%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$170 R 2,792

-63.24%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$31.56 R 518

-63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$38.52 R 632

-47.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$33.27 R 546

13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$12.12 R 199

-69.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.49 R 106

0.31%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$262 R 4,291

178.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$6,514 R 106.9K

154.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$50.3 R 825

6.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$36.13 R 593

-31.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$104 R 1,700

-12.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$94.6 R 1,552

-23.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$345 R 5,661

39.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$396 R 6,499

-21.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$820 R 13.5K

29.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$645 R 10.6K

2.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$726 R 11.9K

232.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$690 R 11.3K

133.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Oudtshoorn: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Oudtshoorn

$396 34.4% 27.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Oudtshoorn

$192 16.7% 18.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Oudtshoorn

$128 11.1% 18.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Oudtshoorn

$240 20.9% 154% $146

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Oudtshoorn

$136 11.8% 77.4% $59

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Oudtshoorn

$12 * 1.1% 78.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Oudtshoorn

$46 4% 9.2% $4.7

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 $345 in Oudtshoorn. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Oudtshoorn. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $192 in Oudtshoorn – so Oudtshoorn wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Oudtshoorn

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

11:36 11:36 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

61,507

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Oudtshoorn 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Oudtshoorn

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 Oudtshoorn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oudtshoorn costs about 23% 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 $1,727 in Oudtshoorn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oudtshoorn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $345 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $34 in Oudtshoorn. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Oudtshoorn – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,151 in Oudtshoorn. 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 $1,151 in Oudtshoorn. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.