Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Invercargill and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,412 in Invercargill, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
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Invercargill Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,412 per month in Invercargill vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Invercargill $1,412
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,099 per month in Invercargill vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Invercargill $2,099
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Invercargill vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Invercargill $2,785
Chiang Mai $1,914

Invercargill costs about 51% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Invercargill sits 5% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 NZ$24.83

$2.26 ฿75.4

521.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 NZ$108

$19.18 ฿641

219.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 NZ$14.71

$5.59 ฿187

48.84%

Cappuccino

$3.12 NZ$5.52

$1.72 ฿57.6

81.40%

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

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$0.64 ฿21.54

157.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 NZ$3.60

$0.33 ฿11.18

515.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 NZ$4.85

$2.36 ฿78.7

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.85

$3.90 ฿130

-29.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 NZ$2.96

$2.05 ฿68.6

-18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 NZ$3.27

$1.40 ฿46.70

32.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 NZ$3.11

$1.28 ฿42.89

37.50%

Eggs

$5.58 NZ$9.87

$2.25 ฿75.3

148.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 NZ$14.55

$16.94 ฿566

-51.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 NZ$15.61

$2.74 ฿91.6

222.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 NZ$21.44

$9.36 ฿313

29.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 NZ$4.50

$2.40 ฿80.3

6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 NZ$4.17

$1.01 ฿33.92

133.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 NZ$4.70

$1.61 ฿53.9

65.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 NZ$6.23

$1.52 ฿50.7

131.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 NZ$5.68

$1.28 ฿42.90

150.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 NZ$2.85

$1.11 ฿37.22

45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.13

$0.72 ฿24.09

223.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$0.52 ฿17.54

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.39 NZ$36.06

$4.33 ฿145

370.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 NZ$15.14

$17.73 ฿593

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.06

$1.63 ฿54.4

75.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 NZ$5.99

$2.85 ฿95.3

18.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$0.85 ฿28.31

65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 NZ$4.01

$1.17 ฿39.18

94.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.42

$0.57 ฿19.00

240.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.73 NZ$49.04

$2.37 ฿79.2

1070.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 NZ$2.81

$1.45 ฿48.32

9.66%

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

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

16.24%

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

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-31.20%

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

$109 NZ$192

$62.3 ฿2,083

74.44%

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

$32.30 NZ$57.1

$12.27 ฿410

163.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.46 NZ$75.1

$19.97 ฿668

112.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.87 NZ$49.29

$37.91 ฿1,267

-26.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.77 NZ$24.34

$3.76 ฿126

266.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.82 NZ$15.60

$6.71 ฿224

31.45%

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

$589 NZ$1,042

$797 ฿26.6K

-26.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 NZ$102

$53.3 ฿1,780

7.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 NZ$62.0

$25.05 ฿837

40.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 NZ$124

$91.6 ฿3,062

-23.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 NZ$140

$73.5 ฿2,455

7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 NZ$1,050

$464 ฿15.5K

27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 NZ$974

$305 ฿10.2K

80.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 NZ$1,470

$915 ฿30.6K

-9.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 NZ$1,350

$552 ฿18.5K

38.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,482 NZ$9,695

$1,912 ฿63.9K

186.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,034 NZ$8,902

$1,438 ฿48.1K

249.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,729 NZ$4,826

$595 ฿19.9K

358.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

5.57

20.65%

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

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Invercargill

$551 39%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 44.7% $246

Groceries & Markets

Invercargill

$298 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 20.1% $60

Eating Out

Invercargill

$209 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 62.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Invercargill

$183 13%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 48.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Invercargill

$109 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Invercargill

$46 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.8% $5.8

Getting Around

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 249% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $594 in Invercargill versus $464 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 358% higher in Invercargill, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Invercargill versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

6 h behind Invercargill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,200

127,240

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 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

Invercargill Chiang Mai 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Invercargill
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

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

Invercargill costs about 51% 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 $2,119 per month in Invercargill and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Invercargill and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Invercargill, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Invercargill at $1,412. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Invercargill it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,412 in Invercargill. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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