Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
Learn more

Palmerston North Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Palmerston North $1,562

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,537 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Palmerston North $2,537

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,511 in Palmerston North, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Palmerston North $3,511

Chiang Mai is about 40% cheaper than Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Palmerston North is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$13.50 NZ$23.87

-83.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$63.7 NZ$113

-69.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$8.80 NZ$15.56

-36.48%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.13 NZ$5.54

-45.05%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.36 NZ$4.18

-72.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.68 NZ$2.97

-80.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$6.43 NZ$11.38

-63.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$6.52 NZ$11.53

-40.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.84 NZ$3.26

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.14 NZ$3.78

-34.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.37 NZ$2.42

-6.57%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-53.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.41 NZ$11.34

164.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$9.50 NZ$16.80

-71.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.78 NZ$19.06

-13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.54 NZ$4.48

-5.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-54.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-72.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.41 NZ$2.49

-9.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.86 NZ$1.53

29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-58.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.75 NZ$1.33

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-80.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.91 NZ$13.99

124.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-38.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.78 NZ$4.91

2.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-78.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$82.3 NZ$146

-34.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.87 NZ$3.30

-37.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-67.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$16.63 NZ$29.40

-85.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-11.59%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

-5.06%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

10.82%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$68.2 NZ$121

-8.63%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$32.09 NZ$56.8

-61.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$34.64 NZ$61.3

-42.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$21.79 NZ$38.54

73.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$14.08 NZ$24.90

-73.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.60 NZ$20.52

-42.16%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,034 NZ$1,829

-22.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

73.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$69.5 NZ$123

-23.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$27.70 NZ$48.98

-9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$83.1 NZ$147

10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$82.5 NZ$146

-10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$906 NZ$1,602

-48.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$639 NZ$1,129

-52.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,587 NZ$2,807

-42.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,311 NZ$2,318

-57.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,023 NZ$3,577

-5.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,836 NZ$3,247

-21.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,494 NZ$4,411

-76.14%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 110% $334

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 19% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 8% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 42.7% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 195% $154

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 77.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 12.3% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $906 in Palmerston North. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 319% higher in Palmerston North, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $64.0 in Palmerston North. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $283 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

15:51 3:51 PM

6 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

90,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Palmerston North 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palmerston North costs about 66% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,343 in Palmerston North. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,034 in Palmerston North. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Palmerston North, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Palmerston North at $1,562. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Palmerston North it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,562 in Palmerston North. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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