Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,110 in George, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,110 per month in George vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

George $1,110
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,847 per month in George vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

George $1,847
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,584 per month in George vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

George $2,584
Chiang Mai $1,979

George costs about 19% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both George and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – George 18% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.85 R 181

$2.24 ฿75.6

384.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.91 R 700

$19.00 ฿641

120.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 R 82.6

$5.55 ฿187

-10.81%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R 35.57

$1.67 ฿56.5

27.54%

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

$1.05 R 17.59

$0.64 ฿21.55

64.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.95

$0.31 ฿10.31

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 R 45.10

$2.36 ฿79.6

14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 R 54.3

$3.66 ฿124

-11.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 19.15

$1.95 ฿65.8

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.92

$1.44 ฿48.48

-29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.09

$1.33 ฿45.04

12.78%

Eggs

$2.79 R 46.63

$2.28 ฿77.1

22.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$16.45 ฿555

-47.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 R 88.2

$2.78 ฿93.9

90.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 R 112

$9.31 ฿314

-28.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.99

$2.35 ฿79.4

-28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.80

$0.97 ฿32.80

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.86

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.89

$1.50 ฿50.6

15.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.48

$1.28 ฿43.12

33.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.32

$1.10 ฿37.19

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.82

$0.71 ฿23.82

76.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.61

$0.49 ฿16.37

102.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 R 53.4

$4.14 ฿140

-22.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 83.0

$17.52 ฿591

-71.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.44

$1.61 ฿54.5

-20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.17

$2.78 ฿94.0

-37.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.63

$0.87 ฿29.31

70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.91 R 466

$54.1 ฿1,826

-48.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.67

$1.16 ฿39.06

-44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 R 7.95

$0.53 ฿17.80

-9.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.64 R 144

$2.42 ฿81.8

257.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R 20.87

$1.45 ฿48.90

-13.79%

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

$29.9K R 499.3K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

42.04%

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

$30.0K R 500.5K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

11.28%

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

$123 R 2,052

$62.2 ฿2,098

97.76%

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

$17.56 R 293

$12.17 ฿411

44.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 R 772

$20.12 ฿679

129.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.43 R 508

$37.31 ฿1,259

-18.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 R 180

$3.77 ฿127

185.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 R 98.9

$6.49 ฿219

-8.63%

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

$139 R 2,324

$736 ฿24.8K

-81.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,219 R 87.1K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-64.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 R 1,203

$53.4 ฿1,801

35.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.64 R 645

$24.64 ฿831

56.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,864

$91.5 ฿3,087

22.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 R 1,448

$71.9 ฿2,428

20.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 R 7,163

$482 ฿16.3K

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 6,051

$309 ฿10.4K

17.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 R 12.9K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-23.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.6K

$633 ฿21.4K

47.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 R 14.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-63.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 R 11.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-56.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 R 22.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

127.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

5.57

96.05%

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

Last update for George: 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

George

$362 32.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 14.8% $54

Groceries & Markets

George

$188 17%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 24.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$187 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 49.4% $92

Eating Out

George

$155 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 49.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

George

$139 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.9% $8

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 66.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $429 in George 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 George are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in George versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $188 in George vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so George wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

5 h ahead of George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

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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Highest

Between locations

George Chiang Mai 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

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

George costs about 19% 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 $1,666 per month in George 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 George, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $429 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $139 per month in George and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in George – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,110 in George 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 $1,110 in George. 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, George makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.