Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edenvale and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,390 in Edenvale, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Edenvale
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Edenvale Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Edenvale

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,390

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,390 per month in Edenvale vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Edenvale $1,390
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,067 per month in Edenvale vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Edenvale $2,067
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,744 per month in Edenvale vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Edenvale $2,744
Chiang Mai $1,979

Edenvale costs about 49% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Edenvale sits 2% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 155

$2.24 ฿75.6

314.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.46 R 709

$19.00 ฿641

123.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.4

$5.55 ฿187

5.05%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.59

$1.67 ฿56.5

38.32%

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

$1.08 R 17.97

$0.64 ฿21.55

68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R 13.23

$0.31 ฿10.31

154.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 43.11

$2.36 ฿79.6

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 R 55.1

$3.66 ฿124

-9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 R 20.98

$1.95 ฿65.8

-35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.66

$1.44 ฿48.48

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.81

$1.33 ฿45.04

30.08%

Eggs

$2.45 R 40.91

$2.28 ฿77.1

7.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 R 143

$16.45 ฿555

-48.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 R 90.9

$2.78 ฿93.9

95.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 120

$9.31 ฿314

-22.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.09

$2.35 ฿79.4

-23.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.90

$0.97 ฿32.80

96.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.59

$1.60 ฿53.9

10.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.15

$1.50 ฿50.6

20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.79

$1.28 ฿43.12

11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.51

$1.10 ฿37.19

60.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.48

$0.71 ฿23.82

64.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.58

$0.49 ฿16.37

151.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 R 53.9

$4.14 ฿140

-21.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.23 R 87.4

$17.52 ฿591

-70.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R 26.71

$1.61 ฿54.5

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.84

$2.78 ฿94.0

-31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.76

$1.16 ฿39.06

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.20

$0.53 ฿17.80

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.23 R 238

$2.42 ฿81.8

488.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 25.05

$1.45 ฿48.90

3.45%

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

$35.3K R 589.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

67.80%

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

$34.1K R 569.6K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

26.65%

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

$148 R 2,477

$62.2 ฿2,098

138.64%

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

$38.93 R 650

$12.17 ฿411

219.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.28 R 622

$20.12 ฿679

85.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.86 R 816

$37.31 ฿1,259

30.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.81 R 448

$3.77 ฿127

611.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.00 R 117

$6.49 ฿219

7.86%

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

$241 R 4,030

$736 ฿24.8K

-67.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,787 R 130.0K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-47.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 970

$53.4 ฿1,801

8.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.37 R 757

$24.64 ฿831

84.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,867

$91.5 ฿3,087

22.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 R 1,768

$71.9 ฿2,428

47.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 12.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

48.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 R 10.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

96.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 R 17.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

5.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 R 17.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

61.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,045 R 17.4K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-34.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

5.57

95.87%

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

Last update for Edenvale: 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

Edenvale

$606 43.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 49% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edenvale

$225 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.9% $130

Groceries & Markets

Edenvale

$201 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.6% $33

Eating Out

Edenvale

$147 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 47% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Edenvale

$145 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Edenvale

$63 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20% $13

Getting Around

Edenvale

$4.2 * 0.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1347% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Edenvale 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 $42 in Edenvale versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Edenvale vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Edenvale wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Edenvale

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

5 h ahead of Edenvale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Edenvale Chiang Mai 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Edenvale
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

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

Edenvale costs about 49% 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 $2,085 per month in Edenvale 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 $716 in Edenvale.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Edenvale 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 14% cheaper in Edenvale – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,390 in Edenvale and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,390 in Edenvale. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.