Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gaborone and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaborone: $845 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Gaborone
Learn more

Gaborone Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Gaborone

🇧🇼 Botswana

$845

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $845 per month in Gaborone vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gaborone $845
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,307 per month in Gaborone vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gaborone $1,307
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,768 per month in Gaborone vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gaborone $1,768
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gaborone is about 10% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gaborone and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gaborone 38% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.88 P 147

$2.24 ฿75.7

385.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.05 P 392

$19.00 ฿642

52.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 P 77.8

$5.55 ฿188

3.78%

Cappuccino

$2.35 P 31.67

$1.67 ฿56.6

40.72%

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

$0.68 P 9.24

$0.64 ฿21.56

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 P 5.46

$0.31 ฿10.32

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 P 27.17

$2.36 ฿79.6

-14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 P 33.44

$3.66 ฿124

-32.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 P 19.94

$1.95 ฿65.8

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 P 11.30

$1.44 ฿48.51

-41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 P 24.04

$1.33 ฿45.07

33.83%

Eggs

$2.44 P 32.90

$2.28 ฿77.1

7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.52 P 88.0

$16.45 ฿556

-60.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 P 59.8

$2.78 ฿94.0

59.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.99 P 67.3

$9.31 ฿314

-46.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 P 21.40

$2.35 ฿79.5

-32.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 P 19.49

$0.97 ฿32.82

49.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 P 26.74

$1.60 ฿53.9

23.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 P 22.47

$1.50 ฿50.7

11.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 P 17.47

$1.28 ฿43.15

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 P 16.29

$1.10 ฿37.22

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 P 17.27

$0.71 ฿23.84

80.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 P 13.10

$0.49 ฿16.38

97.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 P 48.56

$4.14 ฿140

-13.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 P 57.3

$17.52 ฿592

-75.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 P 18.68

$1.61 ฿54.5

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 P 24.04

$2.78 ฿94.0

-35.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 P 8.40

$0.87 ฿29.33

-28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.95 P 404

$54.1 ฿1,827

-44.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 P 8.14

$1.16 ฿39.08

-48.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 P 33.24

$0.53 ฿17.82

364.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 P 39.52

$2.42 ฿81.8

21.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.84

$1.45 ฿48.93

-8.97%

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

$30.0K P 404.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

42.50%

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

$20.1K P 271.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-25.37%

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

$61.0 P 823

$62.2 ฿2,100

-1.93%

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

$18.34 P 247

$12.17 ฿411

50.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.67 P 589

$20.12 ฿680

117.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.07 P 460

$37.31 ฿1,260

-8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 P 220

$3.77 ฿127

332.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.23 P 84.1

$6.49 ฿219

-4.01%

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

$129 P 1,744

$736 ฿24.9K

-82.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,545 P 34.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-82.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.15 P 650

$53.4 ฿1,802

-9.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.72 P 226

$24.64 ฿832

-32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 P 972

$91.5 ฿3,089

-21.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 P 1,060

$71.9 ฿2,429

9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 P 4,763

$482 ฿16.3K

-26.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 P 2,824

$309 ฿10.4K

-32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 P 7,198

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-46.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 P 4,802

$633 ฿21.4K

-43.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,034 P 27.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-13.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,260 P 17.0K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-20.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 P 6,087

$590 ฿19.9K

-23.48%

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 Gaborone: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gaborone

$209 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 47.6% $100

Groceries & Markets

Gaborone

$172 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 36.5% $63

Eating Out

Gaborone

$152 18%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.9% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gaborone

$123 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 23.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Gaborone

$97 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Gaborone

$47 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.1% $3.8

Getting Around

Gaborone

$45 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 35.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $353 in Gaborone 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 run about 31% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Gaborone versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Gaborone vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Gaborone wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Gaborone

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

5 h ahead of Gaborone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,626 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 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 BWP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gaborone Chiang Mai 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Gaborone
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Gaborone, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,267 per month in Gaborone 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 Gaborone, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $353 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $129 per month in Gaborone 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 37% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Gaborone – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Gaborone. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.