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

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 6.2% more expensive than Upington without rent, and 15.7% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 2.5% more expensive than Upington without rent, and 17.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.8
$11.21 R 188
-81.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿594
$33.65 R 563
-44.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿239
$4.85 R 81.1
54.23%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.8
$1.63 R 27.30
22.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿27.08
$0.98 R 16.48
-13.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.24
$0.66 R 11.07
-46.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.7
$1.60 R 26.84
38.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿120
$2.53 R 42.42
48.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.9
$0.82 R 13.68
109.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿52.2
$1.09 R 18.20
49.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿37.04
$1.56 R 26.12
-25.64%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿63.3
$2.46 R 41.12
-19.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿509
$7.74 R 130
105.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿101
$4.60 R 77.0
-31.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿349
$6.88 R 115
58.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿84.6
$1.62 R 27.11
63.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.09
$1.54 R 25.79
-20.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿54.3
$1.47 R 24.62
15.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.8
$1.66 R 27.72
-4.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿42.33
$1.32 R 22.05
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿37.36
$1.18 R 19.81
-0.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.67
$1.05 R 17.54
-35.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.81
$0.93 R 15.49
-39.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿144
$2.56 R 42.81
76.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿610
$3.88 R 65.0
391.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.6
$1.37 R 22.94
29.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿102
$1.63 R 27.36
95.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.78
$1.62 R 27.18
-40.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿604
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿43.41
$1.10 R 18.50
23.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.23
$0.93 R 15.59
45.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿257
$3.99 R 66.8
101.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.74
$1.27 R 21.26
-2.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿676.6K
$21.0K R 351.7K
0.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿695.5K
$23.4K R 392.3K
-7.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,277
$121 R 2,018
-40.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿450
$35.75 R 598
-60.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿559
$41.55 R 696
-57.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,345
$31.38 R 525
34.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿220
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿190
$6.86 R 115
-13.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,827
$201 R 3,360
53.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿473.0K
$4,373 R 73.2K
238.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,780
$50.7 R 849
9.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿856
$32.25 R 540
-16.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,661
$88.1 R 1,475
-5.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,241
$78.8 R 1,319
-11.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.7K
$362 R 6,055
18.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,580
$336 R 5,632
-29.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.6K
$565 R 9,466
41.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿16.1K
$679 R 11.4K
-25.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.9K
$740 R 12.4K
178.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿49.0K
$621 R 10.4K
146.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Upington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.9K
$811 R 13.6K
-19.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
11.38
-56.06%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Upington: March 2, 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

Similar cities