Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Polokwane Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Polokwane

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 2.9% more expensive than Polokwane without rent, and 4.8% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 6.4% cheaper than Polokwane without rent, and 3.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.2
$9.82 R 162
-79.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿588
$41.38 R 682
-55.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿237
$5.00 R 82.4
49.60%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.2
$2.24 R 36.87
-10.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.81
$0.81 R 13.35
4.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.13
$0.81 R 13.36
-56.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.0
$1.73 R 28.44
27.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿119
$1.98 R 32.65
89.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.4
$1.14 R 18.84
50.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.7
$0.95 R 15.60
71.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.66
$1.71 R 28.16
-32.16%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.6
$2.44 R 40.22
-18.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿504
$7.07 R 117
125.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿100
$3.28 R 54.0
-3.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿345
$5.47 R 90.2
99.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.7
$1.64 R 26.96
61.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.70
$1.54 R 25.41
-20.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.7
$1.54 R 25.41
10.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.3
$1.67 R 27.54
-4.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿41.90
$1.46 R 24.02
-9.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿36.99
$1.23 R 20.24
-4.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.46
$1.03 R 16.99
-33.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.64
$0.77 R 12.66
-27.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿143
$2.73 R 45.02
65.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿604
$4.91 R 81.0
288.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.0
$1.13 R 18.62
56.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿101
$1.26 R 20.71
152.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.47
$3.21 R 52.8
-70.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿598
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿42.98
$0.87 R 14.34
56.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.80
$0.95 R 15.61
42.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿254
$4.13 R 68.1
94.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.34
$1.23 R 20.35
0.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿669.8K
$13.9K R 229.1K
52.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿688.5K
$22.2K R 366.5K
-2.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,255
$120 R 1,982
-40.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿446
$40.80 R 672
-65.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿553
$36.42 R 600
-52.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,332
$22.14 R 365
90.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿218
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿188
$7.48 R 123
-20.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,728
$169 R 2,782
82.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿468.2K
$1,350 R 22.2K
995.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,762
$33.06 R 545
68.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿848
$34.23 R 564
-21.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,634
$74.5 R 1,228
11.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,219
$79.6 R 1,311
-11.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.5K
$256 R 4,217
66.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,504
$174 R 2,866
36.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.4K
$371 R 6,112
116.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿15.9K
$277 R 4,565
81.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.5K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Polokwane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.7K
$1,565 R 25.8K
-58.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.51
-56.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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