Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shurugwi

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
Learn more

Shurugwi Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $579 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Shurugwi $579

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $949 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Shurugwi $949

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,320 in Shurugwi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Shurugwi $1,320

Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Shurugwi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Shurugwi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Shurugwi 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$10.11 ZWL 269

-77.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$39.64 ZWL 1,055

-51.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.80 ZWL 154

-3.62%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.69 ZWL 45.06

1.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.97 ZWL 25.82

-34.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.48 ZWL 12.79

-31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.28 ZWL 33.94

84.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.06 ZWL 54.7

89.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

38.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.98 ZWL 26.00

42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.67 ZWL 44.40

-23.35%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

15.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.52 ZWL 307

47.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.30 ZWL 141

-48.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$6.34 ZWL 169

47.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.07 ZWL 81.8

-21.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.65 ZWL 44.01

-38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.01 ZWL 53.4

-19.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.51 ZWL 40.30

0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.80 ZWL 47.97

-38.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.22 ZWL 32.55

-40.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

122.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$8.20 ZWL 218

116.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.38 ZWL 36.77

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

44.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.94 ZWL 105

-70.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

-71.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.04 ZWL 134

-52.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.84 ZWL 48.95

-21.20%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$22.1K ZWL 587.6K

-7.28%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$27.8K ZWL 738.7K

-4.49%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$52.0 ZWL 1,383

19.91%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$21.89 ZWL 582

-43.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$68.3 ZWL 1,818

-70.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.97 ZWL 265

-32.70%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$429 ZWL 11.4K

85.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$8,436 ZWL 224.5K

75.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$23.20 ZWL 617

129.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$21.19 ZWL 564

18.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$38.89 ZWL 1,035

135.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$39.82 ZWL 1,060

84.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.69

-59.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shurugwi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Shurugwi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Shurugwi

$213 36.7% 10.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Shurugwi

$55 9.6% 49.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Shurugwi

$142 24.6% 50.3% $48

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Shurugwi

$135 23.3% 70.7% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.4% 77.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.5% 61.2% $31

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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $40.00 in Shurugwi. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $213 in Shurugwi – so Shurugwi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

08:10 8:10 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

16,866

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shurugwi 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shurugwi

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 Shurugwi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Shurugwi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $868 in Shurugwi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $40.00 in Shurugwi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Chiang Mai, 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 Shurugwi, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Shurugwi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Shurugwi costs $579 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Shurugwi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.