Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $978 in East London, rent and utilities included – about $520 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in East London outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$978

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in East London vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

East London $978
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,499 per month in East London vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

East London $1,499
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,020 per month in East London vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

East London $2,020
Chiang Mai $1,999

East London costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both East London and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – East London 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.97 R 133

$2.13 ฿72.0

274.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.73 R 562

$18.62 ฿628

81.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 R 84.8

$5.60 ฿189

-9.11%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.11

$1.66 ฿56.1

23.49%

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

$1.01 R 16.76

$0.65 ฿21.83

55.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 12.08

$0.30 ฿10.29

140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 R 44.16

$2.32 ฿78.4

14.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 R 51.8

$3.67 ฿124

-15.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.63

$2.02 ฿68.0

-44.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 R 15.15

$1.41 ฿47.51

-35.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.27

$1.39 ฿46.96

5.04%

Eggs

$2.35 R 39.11

$2.37 ฿79.9

-0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 140

$16.52 ฿557

-49.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 R 86.7

$2.67 ฿90.1

94.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 R 132

$9.02 ฿304

-12.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.04

$2.40 ฿80.9

-27.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.27

$1.04 ฿35.13

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.96

$1.66 ฿56.0

-2.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.23

$1.56 ฿52.6

0.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.09

$1.24 ฿41.76

36.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.73

$1.09 ฿36.66

30.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.55

$0.76 ฿25.70

61.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.87

$0.51 ฿17.35

98.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 R 49.19

$4.12 ฿139

-28.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.88 R 81.4

$17.93 ฿605

-72.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 R 17.45

$1.62 ฿54.8

-35.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.14

$2.82 ฿95.2

-65.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R 19.69

$1.18 ฿39.70

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.26

$0.17 ฿5.79

194.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.61 R 143

$1.81 ฿61.1

375.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.33

$1.47 ฿49.69

-0.68%

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

$35.3K R 588.2K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

68.00%

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

$29.4K R 489.3K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

10.74%

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

$123 R 2,054

$62.6 ฿2,111

97.03%

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

$30.34 R 506

$11.60 ฿392

161.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.33 R 755

$20.30 ฿685

123.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.33 R 655

$37.88 ฿1,278

3.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 R 84.0

$6.51 ฿220

-22.58%

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

$175 R 2,914

$727 ฿24.5K

-75.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,508 R 91.8K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-66.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 935

$53.5 ฿1,807

4.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.59 R 543

$24.80 ฿837

31.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 R 1,225

$90.4 ฿3,050

-18.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 R 1,580

$72.0 ฿2,428

31.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 R 3,960

$481 ฿16.2K

-50.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 R 4,924

$310 ฿10.5K

-4.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 R 10.1K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-43.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 R 9,430

$659 ฿22.2K

-14.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$481 R 8,009

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-80.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$833 R 13.9K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-48.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,442 R 24.0K

$595 ฿20.1K

142.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

5.57

103.41%

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

Last update for East London: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East London

$295 30.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 4.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.5% $104

Groceries & Markets

East London

$185 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 28.2% $52

Eating Out

East London

$130 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 41.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 6.3% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 3% $1.5

Getting Around

East London

$3.7 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 1503% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $238 in East London versus $481 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 East London are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in East London versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in East London vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

03:22 3:22 AM

5 h ahead of East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

East London Chiang Mai 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

East London costs about 5% 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 $1,467 per month in East London 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 East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in East London and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in East London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $978 in East London and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $978 in East London. 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, East London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.