Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fourways and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,031 in Fourways, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Fourways outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Fourways
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Fourways Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fourways

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,031

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,031 per month in Fourways vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fourways $1,031
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,591 per month in Fourways vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fourways $1,591
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,151 per month in Fourways vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fourways $2,151
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fourways costs about 10% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fourways and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Fourways 24% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.11 R 152

$2.24 ฿75.6

306.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.79 R 615

$19.00 ฿641

93.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 R 88.9

$5.55 ฿187

-4.14%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.42

$1.67 ฿56.5

30.54%

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

$1.02 R 17.09

$0.64 ฿21.54

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.47

$0.31 ฿10.31

161.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 R 39.30

$2.36 ฿79.5

-0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.79

$3.66 ฿124

-25.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.45

$1.95 ฿65.7

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.75

$1.44 ฿48.46

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.86

$1.33 ฿45.03

25.56%

Eggs

$2.40 R 40.13

$2.28 ฿77.1

5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.56 R 126

$16.45 ฿555

-54.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 R 72.8

$2.78 ฿93.9

56.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.02 R 117

$9.31 ฿314

-24.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 R 23.13

$2.35 ฿79.4

-41.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.61

$0.97 ฿32.79

63.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.43

$1.60 ฿53.9

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.75

$1.50 ฿50.6

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.73

$1.28 ฿43.11

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R 20.25

$1.10 ฿37.18

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.41

$0.71 ฿23.82

71.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 18.23

$0.49 ฿16.36

122.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 R 53.3

$4.14 ฿140

-22.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 83.7

$17.52 ฿591

-71.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.48

$1.61 ฿54.5

-5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.74

$2.78 ฿93.9

-29.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.78

$1.16 ฿39.04

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R 13.40

$0.53 ฿17.80

50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.28 R 239

$2.42 ฿81.7

490.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 26.02

$1.45 ฿48.88

7.59%

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

$28.7K R 479.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

36.26%

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

$26.7K R 446.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-0.90%

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

$87.3 R 1,458

$62.2 ฿2,098

40.34%

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

$36.98 R 618

$12.17 ฿411

203.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.87 R 616

$20.12 ฿679

83.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.58 R 544

$37.31 ฿1,259

-12.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 R 272

$3.77 ฿127

331.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 R 119

$6.49 ฿219

9.71%

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

$256 R 4,277

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,815 R 130.6K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-47.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 R 886

$53.4 ฿1,801

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.76 R 531

$24.64 ฿831

28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 R 1,290

$91.5 ฿3,087

-15.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,409

$71.9 ฿2,427

17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 R 6,446

$482 ฿16.3K

-20.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 R 6,463

$309 ฿10.4K

25.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 R 12.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-26.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 R 11.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

11.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,572 R 26.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

166.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

5.57

103.59%

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

Last update for Fourways: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fourways

$387 37.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 20.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

Fourways

$181 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 29.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fourways

$161 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.4% $67

Eating Out

Fourways

$140 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 44.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Fourways

$111 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Fourways

$47 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.4% $3.5

Getting Around

Fourways

$4.3 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1327% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Fourways 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 Fourways are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Fourways versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $181 in Fourways vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Fourways wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Fourways

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

5 h ahead of Fourways

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fourways Chiang Mai 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Fourways
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

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

Fourways costs about 10% 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 $1,546 per month in Fourways 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 Fourways, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Fourways 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 23% cheaper in Fourways – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,031 in Fourways 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 $1,031 in Fourways. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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