Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dunedin and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,987 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,987

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dunedin 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 Dunedin and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,987 per month in Dunedin vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dunedin $1,987
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,907 per month in Dunedin vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dunedin $2,907
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,828 per month in Dunedin vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dunedin $3,828
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dunedin costs about 112% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dunedin sits 46% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.03 NZ$25.00

$2.24 ฿75.7

526.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 NZ$110

$19.00 ฿642

226.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 NZ$20.31

$5.55 ฿188

105.41%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NZ$5.83

$1.67 ฿56.6

95.81%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.69

$0.64 ฿21.56

223.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 NZ$3.66

$0.31 ฿10.32

564.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 NZ$12.00

$2.36 ฿79.6

185.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 NZ$10.98

$3.66 ฿124

68.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NZ$3.83

$1.95 ฿65.8

10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 NZ$3.55

$1.44 ฿48.51

38.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.14

$1.33 ฿45.07

32.33%

Eggs

$5.90 NZ$10.52

$2.28 ฿77.1

158.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 NZ$15.18

$16.45 ฿556

-48.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.42

$2.78 ฿94.0

231.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.72 NZ$29.79

$9.31 ฿314

79.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$2.35 ฿79.5

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 NZ$4.08

$0.97 ฿32.82

136.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 NZ$5.82

$1.60 ฿53.9

104.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 NZ$9.15

$1.50 ฿50.7

242.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 NZ$3.28

$1.28 ฿43.15

43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.34

$1.10 ฿37.22

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 NZ$4.29

$0.71 ฿23.84

239.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 NZ$1.07

$0.49 ฿16.38

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.90 NZ$37.25

$4.14 ฿140

404.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.01 NZ$16.06

$17.52 ฿592

-48.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.66

$1.61 ฿54.5

96.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.24

$2.78 ฿94.0

-54.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 NZ$2.55

$0.87 ฿29.33

64.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 NZ$181

$54.1 ฿1,827

87.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.76 NZ$10.26

$1.16 ฿39.08

396.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.63 NZ$51.0

$2.42 ฿81.8

1083.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 NZ$3.15

$1.45 ฿48.93

22.07%

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

$28.2K NZ$50.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

34.03%

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

$23.5K NZ$41.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-12.85%

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

$110 NZ$197

$62.2 ฿2,100

77.61%

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

$29.44 NZ$52.5

$12.17 ฿411

141.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 NZ$93.2

$20.12 ฿680

159.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 NZ$81.8

$37.31 ฿1,260

23.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.20 NZ$19.96

$6.49 ฿219

72.57%

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

$588 NZ$1,049

$736 ฿24.9K

-20.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 NZ$105

$53.4 ฿1,802

10.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.28 NZ$62.9

$24.64 ฿832

43.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 NZ$163

$91.5 ฿3,089

-0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 NZ$241

$71.9 ฿2,429

87.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 NZ$1,805

$482 ฿16.3K

109.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 NZ$1,599

$309 ฿10.4K

190.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 NZ$2,908

$1,006 ฿34.0K

62.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 NZ$2,419

$633 ฿21.4K

114.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,273 NZ$4,050

$1,589 ฿53.7K

43.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,464 NZ$4,391

$590 ฿19.9K

317.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.57

26.93%

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

Last update for Dunedin: 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

Dunedin

$897 45.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 65.6% $588

Groceries & Markets

Dunedin

$324 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.6% $90

Eating Out

Dunedin

$248 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.7% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dunedin

$192 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Dunedin

$144 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.6% $35

Getting Around

Dunedin

$113 * 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 45.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Dunedin

$68 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.4% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,013 in Dunedin 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.

Salaries in Dunedin are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Dunedin versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

6 h behind Dunedin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,000

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dunedin Chiang Mai 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Dunedin
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

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

Dunedin costs about 112% 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 $2,980 per month in Dunedin 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 $1,013 in Dunedin.

Kindergarten costs $588 per month in Dunedin 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 38% more in Dunedin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,987 in Dunedin 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 $1,987 in Dunedin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Dunedin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.