Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pilikwe

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilikwe: $570 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Pilikwe
Learn more

Pilikwe Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $570 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Pilikwe $570

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $919 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Pilikwe $919

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,268 in Pilikwe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Pilikwe $1,268

Chiang Mai costs about 64% more than Pilikwe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pilikwe are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pilikwe 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$11.00 P 148

-79.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$29.41 P 397

-35.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.77 P 77.9

-3.81%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.39 P 32.20

-30.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.71 P 9.53

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.44 P 5.90

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.95 P 26.28

21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.51 P 33.90

45.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.47 P 19.82

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.90 P 12.16

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.85 P 24.90

-28.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.53 P 34.10

-9.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.46 P 87.2

154.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.50 P 60.7

-38.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.01 P 67.5

85.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.64 P 22.16

43.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.46 P 19.72

-33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.07 P 27.92

-22.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.61 P 21.68

-6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.29 P 17.36

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.20 P 16.24

-8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.30 P 17.47

-45.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.91 P 12.34

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.71 P 49.98

11.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$4.43 P 59.8

295.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.44 P 19.36

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.74 P 23.41

59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.61 P 8.22

90.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.51 P 33.87

-78.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.97 P 40.03

-18.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.32 P 17.82

9.85%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.5K P 411.1K

-30.90%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$20.5K P 276.1K

31.62%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$59.5 P 802

4.58%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.59 P 251

-34.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$43.94 P 593

-54.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.17 P 83.3

5.19%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$127 P 1,707

481.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,553 P 34.4K

478.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$47.29 P 638

12.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$16.73 P 226

47.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$71.2 P 960

28.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$78.5 P 1,058

-8.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.33

-50.84%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pilikwe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Pilikwe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Pilikwe

$173 30.4% 26% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Pilikwe

$96 16.9% 11.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pilikwe

$122 21.4% 29.1% $28

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Pilikwe

$153 26.9% 97.6% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3% 78.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pilikwe

$12 * 2.2% 75.4% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Pilikwe. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $173 in Pilikwe – so Pilikwe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

00:56 12:56 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,375

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pilikwe 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pilikwe

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 Pilikwe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 64% more than Pilikwe, 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 $855 in Pilikwe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $29 in Pilikwe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $570 in Pilikwe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $570 in Pilikwe to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.