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Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Richards Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Richards Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 1.7% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 16% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 1.9% cheaper than Richards Bay without rent, and 13.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.97 ฿62.0
$7.63 R 125
-74.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.68 ฿587
$28.13 R 461
-33.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.92 ฿249
$5.11 R 83.8
54.99%
Cappuccino
$2.02 ฿63.6
$1.92 R 31.54
5.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ฿26.44
$0.94 R 15.41
-10.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.06
$0.71 R 11.72
-50.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.22 ฿69.9
$1.44 R 23.62
54.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 ฿113
$1.71 R 27.99
109.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 ฿52.3
$0.91 R 14.85
83.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿51.1
$0.92 R 15.12
76.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 ฿37.82
$1.43 R 23.49
-16.08%
Eggs
$1.93 ฿60.8
$2.16 R 35.49
-10.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.00 ฿503
$7.40 R 121
116.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.16 ฿99.2
$4.38 R 71.8
-27.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.93 ฿343
$5.50 R 90.2
98.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.67 ฿83.8
$1.56 R 25.57
71.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 ฿36.98
$1.43 R 23.43
-17.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 ฿51.5
$1.33 R 21.86
23.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿49.82
$1.36 R 22.28
16.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿41.63
$1.14 R 18.69
15.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 ฿37.48
$1.04 R 17.05
14.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿22.19
$1.01 R 16.60
-29.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.74
$0.91 R 14.92
-38.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.64 ฿146
$2.39 R 39.22
94.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.96 ฿596
$4.93 R 80.8
284.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿55.6
$1.39 R 22.76
27.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 ฿101
$1.75 R 28.64
82.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 ฿28.31
$1.69 R 27.66
-46.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.24 ฿605
$95.5 R 1,566
-79.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿42.77
$1.64 R 26.83
-17.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.35
$0.62 R 10.12
117.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.15 ฿256
$6.83 R 112
19.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 ฿38.42
$1.29 R 21.13
-5.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K ฿671.6K
$20.2K R 331.8K
5.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K ฿683.6K
$24.6K R 403.6K
-11.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.3 ฿2,210
$132 R 2,165
-46.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.91 ฿437
$29.37 R 482
-52.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.00 ฿566
$33.37 R 547
-46.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.78 ฿1,313
$32.74 R 537
27.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.80 ฿214
$4.40 R 72.2
54.55%
Cinema Ticket
$5.72 ฿180
$6.70 R 110
-14.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 ฿9,690
$92.0 R 1,509
235.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿465.6K
$2,454 R 40.2K
503.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 ฿1,755
$41.66 R 683
34.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.71 ฿839
$18.73 R 307
42.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 ฿2,657
$84.9 R 1,393
-0.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.8 ฿2,226
$72.5 R 1,189
-2.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$431 ฿13.5K
$398 R 6,528
8.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,437
$288 R 4,728
-17.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ฿25.5K
$855 R 14.0K
-5.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$501 ฿15.7K
$613 R 10.1K
-18.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,202 ฿69.2K
$306 R 5,011
620.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,600 ฿50.3K
$679 R 11.1K
135.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Richards Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$684 ฿21.5K
$1,110 R 18.2K
-38.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
12.01
-58.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: January 11, 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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