Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings, New Zealand and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,776 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Hastings
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Hastings Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hastings

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,776

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,776 per month in Hastings vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hastings $1,776
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Hastings vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hastings $2,606
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,436 per month in Hastings vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hastings $3,436
Chiang Mai $1,979

Hastings costs about 90% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.55 NZ$20.58

$2.24 ฿75.7

415.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 NZ$100

$19.00 ฿642

196.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 NZ$16.63

$5.55 ฿188

68.11%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.86

$1.67 ฿56.6

97.01%

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

$1.82 NZ$3.24

$0.64 ฿21.56

184.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 NZ$2.49

$0.31 ฿10.32

351.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 NZ$7.89

$2.36 ฿79.6

87.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 NZ$10.06

$3.66 ฿124

54.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 NZ$2.64

$1.95 ฿65.8

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 NZ$2.21

$1.44 ฿48.51

-13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 NZ$3.16

$1.33 ฿45.07

33.08%

Eggs

$5.38 NZ$9.59

$2.28 ฿77.1

135.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.20

$16.45 ฿556

-65.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.48 NZ$13.33

$2.78 ฿94.0

169.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 NZ$20.89

$9.31 ฿314

25.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 NZ$4.64

$2.35 ฿79.5

10.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 NZ$3.59

$0.97 ฿32.82

107.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 NZ$5.55

$1.60 ฿53.9

94.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 NZ$5.96

$1.50 ฿50.7

122.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.19

$1.28 ฿43.15

39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 NZ$1.83

$1.10 ฿37.22

-6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 NZ$2.53

$0.71 ฿23.84

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 NZ$1.73

$0.49 ฿16.38

97.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.86 NZ$31.82

$4.14 ฿140

331.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.50 NZ$16.92

$17.52 ฿592

-45.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.86 NZ$6.88

$1.61 ฿54.5

139.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 NZ$5.38

$2.78 ฿94.0

8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 NZ$5.03

$0.87 ฿29.33

224.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 NZ$185

$54.1 ฿1,827

91.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 NZ$6.69

$1.16 ฿39.08

223.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 NZ$5.01

$0.53 ฿17.82

430.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 NZ$58.9

$2.42 ฿81.8

1266.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.78

$1.45 ฿48.93

7.59%

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

$28.0K NZ$49.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

33.02%

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

$22.8K NZ$40.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-15.40%

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

$193 NZ$343

$62.2 ฿2,100

209.83%

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

$36.75 NZ$65.5

$12.17 ฿411

201.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.5 NZ$104

$20.12 ฿680

190.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.61 NZ$49.20

$37.31 ฿1,260

-26.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 NZ$18.45

$6.49 ฿219

59.48%

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

$684 NZ$1,219

$736 ฿24.9K

-7.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K NZ$41.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

55.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.65 NZ$84.9

$53.4 ฿1,802

-10.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 NZ$67.7

$24.64 ฿832

54.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 NZ$168

$91.5 ฿3,089

2.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 NZ$160

$71.9 ฿2,429

25.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 NZ$1,472

$482 ฿16.3K

71.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 NZ$1,267

$309 ฿10.4K

130.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 NZ$2,792

$1,006 ฿34.0K

55.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 NZ$2,076

$633 ฿21.4K

83.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,213 NZ$7,508

$2,363 ฿79.8K

78.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,293 NZ$5,869

$1,589 ฿53.7K

107.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,586 NZ$2,827

$590 ฿19.9K

168.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.83

5.57

22.62%

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

Last update for Hastings: 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

Hastings

$711 40%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 56.5% $402

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hastings

$288 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.2% $193

Groceries & Markets

Hastings

$269 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.8% $35

Eating Out

Hastings

$206 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 62.3% $128

Getting Around

Hastings

$133 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 53.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Hastings

$121 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Hastings

$48 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 4.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $826 in Hastings 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 Hastings are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Hastings versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Hastings

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

19:02 7:02 PM

6 h behind Hastings

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,100

127,240

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hastings Chiang Mai 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Hastings
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

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

Hastings costs about 90% 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 $2,664 per month in Hastings 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 $826 in Hastings.

Kindergarten costs $684 per month in Hastings 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 15% more in Hastings, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,776 in Hastings 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 $1,776 in Hastings. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hastings makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.