Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dargaville and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
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Dargaville Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dargaville and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,134 per month in Dargaville vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dargaville $2,134
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,019 per month in Dargaville vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dargaville $3,019
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,904 per month in Dargaville vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dargaville $3,904
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dargaville costs about 128% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dargaville sits 57% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.54 NZ$25.92

$2.24 ฿75.7

549.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 NZ$123

$19.00 ฿642

262.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 NZ$16.13

$5.55 ฿188

63.06%

Cappuccino

$3.69 NZ$6.58

$1.67 ฿56.6

120.96%

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

$2.18 NZ$3.89

$0.64 ฿21.56

240.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NZ$3.73

$0.31 ฿10.32

574.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 NZ$11.24

$2.36 ฿79.6

167.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 NZ$10.04

$3.66 ฿124

53.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$1.95 ฿65.8

5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 NZ$3.49

$1.44 ฿48.51

36.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.33 ฿45.07

14.29%

Eggs

$6.70 NZ$11.94

$2.28 ฿77.1

193.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 NZ$15.14

$16.45 ฿556

-48.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 NZ$18.66

$2.78 ฿94.0

276.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 NZ$22.62

$9.31 ฿314

36.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.72

$2.35 ฿79.5

12.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 NZ$3.81

$0.97 ฿32.82

120.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 NZ$5.20

$1.60 ฿53.9

82.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.86 NZ$10.45

$1.50 ฿50.7

290.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.28 ฿43.15

35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 NZ$2.46

$1.10 ฿37.22

25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 NZ$4.43

$0.71 ฿23.84

250.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 NZ$2.10

$0.49 ฿16.38

140.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.67 NZ$47.54

$4.14 ฿140

544.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.24 NZ$18.26

$17.52 ฿592

-41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$1.61 ฿54.5

87.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 NZ$5.57

$2.78 ฿94.0

12.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 NZ$3.37

$0.87 ฿29.33

117.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 NZ$205

$54.1 ฿1,827

113.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 NZ$4.31

$1.16 ฿39.08

108.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NZ$3.22

$0.53 ฿17.82

241.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.35 NZ$46.96

$2.42 ฿81.8

988.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 NZ$2.66

$1.45 ฿48.93

2.76%

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

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

20.95%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-12.02%

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

$128 NZ$228

$62.2 ฿2,100

106.00%

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

$29.15 NZ$52.0

$12.17 ฿411

139.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 NZ$91.4

$20.12 ฿680

154.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.91 NZ$69.4

$37.31 ฿1,260

4.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.48 NZ$20.45

$6.49 ฿219

76.89%

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

$659 NZ$1,174

$736 ฿24.9K

-10.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-0.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 NZ$120

$53.4 ฿1,802

26.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 NZ$69.7

$24.64 ฿832

58.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 NZ$162

$91.5 ฿3,089

-0.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 NZ$205

$71.9 ฿2,429

60.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 NZ$2,006

$482 ฿16.3K

133.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 NZ$1,802

$309 ฿10.4K

227.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 NZ$2,503

$1,006 ฿34.0K

39.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 NZ$2,409

$633 ฿21.4K

113.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 NZ$7,514

$2,363 ฿79.8K

78.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,111 NZ$5,544

$1,589 ฿53.7K

95.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

5.57

4.67%

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

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dargaville

$1K 47.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 69.4% $702

Groceries & Markets

Dargaville

$330 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.9% $95

Eating Out

Dargaville

$248 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.7% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dargaville

$209 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Dargaville

$141 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 22.8% $32

Getting Around

Dargaville

$134 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Dargaville

$62 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Dargaville versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Dargaville versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

21:08 9:08 PM

6 h behind Dargaville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,600

127,240

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dargaville Chiang Mai 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Dargaville
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

Dargaville vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dargaville costs about 128% 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 $3,201 per month in Dargaville and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,125 in Dargaville.

Kindergarten costs $659 per month in Dargaville and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Dargaville, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,134 in Dargaville and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,134 in Dargaville. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 128% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.