Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 20.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 37.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 29.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 34.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 R 181

$2.03 ฿64.0

445.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.69 R 747

$18.59 ฿586

145.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 R 80.8

$7.48 ฿236

-33.82%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R 36.44

$2.00 ฿63.0

11.50%

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

$1.00 R 16.31

$0.85 ฿26.72

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.14

$0.35 ฿11.09

128.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 R 43.10

$2.21 ฿69.8

19.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.11

$3.76 ฿118

-34.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.68

$1.72 ฿54.2

-30.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.10

$1.63 ฿51.5

-35.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.68

$1.16 ฿36.54

40.52%

Eggs

$2.56 R 41.83

$1.98 ฿62.4

29.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 R 138

$15.93 ฿502

-46.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 R 78.6

$3.17 ฿99.9

51.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 R 109

$10.90 ฿344

-38.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.52

$2.65 ฿83.4

-38.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.80

$1.22 ฿38.57

19.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.06

$1.70 ฿53.5

-10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.21

$1.59 ฿50.2

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.37

$1.32 ฿41.76

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 22.95

$1.17 ฿36.86

19.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.67

$0.68 ฿21.38

58.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.62

$0.56 ฿17.58

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 51.4

$4.51 ฿142

-30.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 99.0

$19.07 ฿602

-68.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.21

$1.77 ฿55.8

-23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 R 27.02

$3.18 ฿100

-48.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 R 27.84

$0.96 ฿30.37

77.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 R 1,162

$18.90 ฿596

276.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R 18.72

$1.36 ฿42.83

-15.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.65

$1.35 ฿42.65

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 R 65.5

$8.03 ฿253

-50.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 20.89

$1.24 ฿39.20

3.23%

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

$22.5K R 367.0K

$21.2K ฿667.5K

6.14%

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

$23.7K R 387.8K

$21.8K ฿686.1K

9.10%

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

$118 R 1,926

$71.2 ฿2,247

65.47%

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

$40.87 R 668

$14.09 ฿444

190.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 R 705

$17.47 ฿551

147.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 R 562

$42.07 ฿1,327

-18.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.89 R 227

$6.88 ฿217

101.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 119

$5.94 ฿187

22.73%

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

$208 R 3,406

$307 ฿9,694

-32.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,878 R 79.7K

$14.8K ฿466.6K

-67.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R 833

$55.7 ฿1,756

-8.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 R 557

$26.79 ฿845

27.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 R 1,465

$83.2 ฿2,625

7.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 R 1,306

$70.1 ฿2,211

13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,780

$427 ฿13.5K

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,058

$237 ฿7,478

56.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 R 14.8K

$802 ฿25.3K

13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.4K

$503 ฿15.9K

38.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,061 R 17.3K

$2,061 ฿65.0K

-48.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$770 R 12.6K

$1,533 ฿48.3K

-49.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 R 27.3K

$654 ฿20.6K

155.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

130.20%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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