Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cook Islands and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,533 in the Cook Islands, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

🇨🇰 Cook Islands
$1,533
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: The Cook Islands is 54.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 69.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: The Cook Islands is 46.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 33.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.04 NZ$19.67
$2.13 ฿71.4
418.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.9 NZ$99.5
$19.40 ฿649
187.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.96 NZ$12.41
$5.47 ฿183
27.24%
Cappuccino
$3.46 NZ$6.16
$1.68 ฿56.4
105.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 NZ$4.35
$0.66 ฿22.10
269.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 NZ$4.30
$0.34 ฿11.52
608.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.60 NZ$9.97
$2.42 ฿81.0
131.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.98 NZ$8.87
$3.73 ฿125
33.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.28 NZ$4.07
$2.06 ฿68.9
10.68%
White Bread (500g)
$3.11 NZ$5.55
$1.46 ฿48.78
113.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 NZ$3.08
$1.35 ฿45.09
28.15%
Eggs
$5.49 NZ$9.78
$2.27 ฿76.0
141.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.97 NZ$15.99
$16.31 ฿546
-45.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.93 NZ$14.13
$2.70 ฿90.3
193.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.93 NZ$17.70
$9.20 ฿308
7.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 NZ$5.08
$2.39 ฿80.1
19.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 NZ$2.95
$1.04 ฿34.66
59.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.37 NZ$6.01
$1.60 ฿53.7
110.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$8.86 NZ$15.80
$1.44 ฿48.37
515.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.73 NZ$4.87
$1.30 ฿43.59
110.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.28 NZ$4.06
$1.11 ฿37.29
105.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 NZ$4.02
$0.70 ฿23.55
222.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.86 NZ$5.09
$0.51 ฿16.99
460.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.19 NZ$19.94
$4.13 ฿138
170.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.37 NZ$22.05
$17.78 ฿595
-30.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.30 NZ$5.88
$1.63 ฿54.7
102.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 NZ$8.36
$2.87 ฿96.0
63.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.81 NZ$5.01
$0.86 ฿28.76
226.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.2 ฿1,780
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$19.31 NZ$34.40
$1.22 ฿40.81
1482.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.56 ฿18.81
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.83 NZ$60.3
$2.31 ฿77.5
1364.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.94 NZ$3.46
$1.50 ฿50.2
29.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.2K NZ$19.9K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
-46.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$26.7K ฿895.0K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 NZ$186
$61.3 ฿2,051
70.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$46.77 NZ$83.3
$12.50 ฿419
274.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$101 NZ$180
$20.36 ฿682
396.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.94 ฿1,270
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿126
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$6.60 ฿221
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$774 ฿25.9K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$14.4K ฿483.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$54.8 ฿1,835
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$25.26 ฿846
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$90.6 ฿3,032
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$73.3 ฿2,453
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$689 NZ$1,228
$459 ฿15.4K
50.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 NZ$1,265
$294 ฿9,835
141.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$388 NZ$692
$919 ฿30.8K
-57.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$621 NZ$1,106
$552 ฿18.5K
12.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,917 ฿64.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$945 NZ$1,684
$1,445 ฿48.4K
-34.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cook Islands
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,914 NZ$6,974
$592 ฿19.8K
560.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
5.57
-

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

Last update for the Cook Islands: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cook Islands
$710
Chiang Mai
$294 58.6% $416
Groceries & Markets
Cook Islands
$368
Chiang Mai
$236 35.9% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cook Islands
$252
Chiang Mai
$94 62.7% $158
Eating Out
Cook Islands
$208
Chiang Mai
$77 62.9% $131
Getting Around
Cook Islands
$31 *
Chiang Mai
$61 98.4% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Cook Islands
- *
Chiang Mai
$51
Clothing & Footwear
Cook Islands
- *
Chiang Mai
$110

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

Good to know
🇨🇰 Cook Islands
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
17:55 5:55 PM
10:55 10:55 AM
17 h ahead of the Cook Islands
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,222
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cook Islands Chiang Mai 11,870 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cook Islands
  • Chiang Mai

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

Cook Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?