Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,313 in Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Wellington
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Wellington Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Wellington

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,313 in Wellington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Wellington $2,313

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,422 in Wellington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Wellington $3,422

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,530 in Wellington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Wellington $4,530

Chiang Mai is about 60% cheaper than Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Wellington is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$14.02 NZ$24.93

-84.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$66.5 NZ$118

-71.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.23 NZ$16.40

-39.87%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.41 NZ$6.06

-51.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.43 NZ$4.32

-73.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.69 NZ$3.01

-81.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$7.48 NZ$13.30

-68.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.74 NZ$11.99

-45.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.95 NZ$3.47

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.25 NZ$4.01

-36.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.85 NZ$3.30

-28.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.10 NZ$12.63

-67.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.54 NZ$16.96

72.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.62 NZ$17.10

-71.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.26 NZ$27.13

-38.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.09 NZ$5.50

-23.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.15 NZ$3.83

-54.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.08 NZ$5.48

-48.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$6.42 NZ$11.42

-76.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.10 NZ$3.73

-39.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.23 NZ$2.19

-10.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.01 NZ$3.58

-64.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.16 NZ$2.06

-57.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$25.37 NZ$45.09

-83.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.48 NZ$20.41

52.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.12 NZ$5.54

-48.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.89 NZ$5.13

-3.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.86 NZ$5.09

-69.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$105 NZ$186

-48.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-38.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-71.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$34.31 NZ$61.0

-92.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-21.20%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$28.4K NZ$50.5K

-25.82%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$23.8K NZ$42.3K

13.21%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$201 NZ$357

-69.04%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$33.35 NZ$59.3

-63.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$53.7 NZ$95.4

-62.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$35.87 NZ$63.8

4.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.18 NZ$28.77

-76.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.78 NZ$20.94

-44.91%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,065 NZ$1,892

-30.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

11.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$80.4 NZ$143

-33.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.04 NZ$49.84

-12.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$102 NZ$181

-9.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$154 NZ$274

-53.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,143 NZ$2,031

-57.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,078 NZ$1,917

-71.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,057 NZ$3,656

-51.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,814 NZ$3,224

-65.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,594 NZ$11.7K

-64.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,655 NZ$6,497

-56.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,785 NZ$4,951

-78.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.39

3.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wellington: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Wellington

$1.1K 46.6% 249% $769

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Wellington

$348 15.1% 48.6% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Wellington

$164 7.1% 50.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Wellington

$288 12.4% 205% $193

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Wellington

$248 10.7% 220% $171

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Wellington

$127 5.5% 108% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Wellington

$59 2.6% 18.2% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,143 in Wellington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Wellington are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $66 in Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $348 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇿 Wellington

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

6 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

215,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Wellington 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wellington costs about 147% 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 $3,470 in Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,143 in Wellington.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,065 in Wellington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Wellington, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,313 in Wellington. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,313 in Wellington. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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