Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,094 in Upington, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
Learn more

Upington Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,094 in Upington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Upington $1,094

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,708 in Upington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Upington $1,708

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,321 in Upington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Upington $2,321

Chiang Mai is about 15% cheaper than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Upington are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Upington 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$11.81 R 195

-81.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$36.69 R 607

-49.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.79 R 95.7

-3.28%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.68 R 27.83

-1.19%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.03 R 17.11

-36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.70 R 11.62

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$1.73 R 28.56

34.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.75 R 45.48

33.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$0.93 R 15.42

117.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.17 R 19.31

20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.66 R 27.40

-16.27%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.73 R 45.20

-13.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$8.17 R 135

102.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$4.55 R 75.1

-41.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$8.30 R 137

8.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.68 R 27.84

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.80 R 29.74

-42.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.01 R 33.21

-17.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.61 R 26.55

-3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.53 R 25.27

-18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.26 R 20.83

-13.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$1.30 R 21.50

-41.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$1.09 R 18.04

-53.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.69 R 44.46

53.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$3.81 R 63.0

370.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.34 R 22.20

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$1.81 R 29.89

55.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$1.61 R 26.63

-42.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$0.85 R 13.98

38.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.83 R 13.75

-79.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$11.98 R 198

-84.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.52 R 25.06

-3.29%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$39.7K R 655.4K

-47.01%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$32.1K R 531.0K

-17.47%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$146 R 2,415

-57.17%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$30.89 R 511

-62.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$36.70 R 607

-44.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$32.48 R 537

16.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$11.37 R 188

-67.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$6.65 R 110

-2.11%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$102 R 1,682

614.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$6,021 R 99.5K

175.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$51.4 R 850

4.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$32.50 R 537

-23.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$89.9 R 1,487

0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$89.5 R 1,480

-19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$398 R 6,573

21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$362 R 5,990

-14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$598 R 9,883

77.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$743 R 12.3K

-11.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$729 R 12.0K

231.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$633 R 10.5K

154.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$780 R 12.9K

-23.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.38

-51.05%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Upington: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Upington

$362 33.1% 16.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Upington

$189 17.3% 20% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Upington

$119 10.8% 9.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Upington

$214 19.5% 126% $119

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Upington

$153 14% 100% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Upington

$11 * 1.1% 80.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Upington

$46 4.2% 10% $5.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $398 in Upington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Upington. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Upington. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $189 in Upington – so Upington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

74,834

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Upington 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Upington costs about 17% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,641 in Upington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $398 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Upington. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Upington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,094 in Upington. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,094 in Upington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Upington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.