Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kafue and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $564 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
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Kafue Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$564

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $564 per month in Kafue vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kafue $564
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $902 per month in Kafue vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kafue $902
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,239 per month in Kafue vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kafue $1,239
Chiang Mai $1,999

Kafue is about 40% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kafue and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kafue 58% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.37 ZMW 109

$2.13 ฿72.0

152.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 ZMW 596

$18.62 ฿628

57.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ZMW 102

$5.60 ฿189

-10.00%

Cappuccino

$2.86 ZMW 57.9

$1.66 ฿56.1

72.29%

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

$0.72 ZMW 14.48

$0.65 ฿21.83

10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZMW 9.70

$0.30 ฿10.29

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ZMW 24.78

$2.32 ฿78.4

-47.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.89

$3.67 ฿124

-38.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ZMW 33.96

$2.02 ฿68.0

-16.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ZMW 23.56

$1.41 ฿47.51

-17.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 ZMW 40.62

$1.39 ฿46.96

44.60%

Eggs

$1.94 ZMW 39.30

$2.37 ฿79.9

-18.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ZMW 206

$16.52 ฿557

-38.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ZMW 125

$2.67 ฿90.1

131.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.62 ZMW 134

$9.02 ฿304

-26.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ZMW 68.5

$2.40 ฿80.9

40.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ZMW 47.84

$1.04 ฿35.13

126.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 ZMW 65.6

$1.66 ฿56.0

95.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ZMW 31.16

$1.56 ฿52.6

-1.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ZMW 52.7

$1.24 ฿41.76

109.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ZMW 35.82

$1.09 ฿36.66

62.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ZMW 22.41

$0.76 ฿25.70

46.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.47

$0.51 ฿17.35

39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ZMW 61.0

$4.12 ฿139

-26.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 ZMW 201

$17.93 ฿605

-44.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ZMW 27.82

$1.62 ฿54.8

-15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ZMW 45.99

$2.82 ฿95.2

-19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ZMW 49.14

$1.18 ฿39.70

105.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 ZMW 29.07

$0.17 ฿5.79

747.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 ZMW 102

$1.81 ฿61.1

176.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 29.61

$1.47 ฿49.69

-0.68%

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

$7,396 ZMW 149.8K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

-64.80%

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

$24.7K ZMW 500.5K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

-6.79%

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

$69.0 ZMW 1,397

$62.6 ฿2,111

10.25%

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

$10.75 ZMW 218

$11.60 ฿392

-7.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ZMW 1,085

$20.30 ฿685

163.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ZMW 118

$6.51 ฿220

-10.60%

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

$145 ZMW 2,945

$727 ฿24.5K

-80.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K ZMW 414.8K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

23.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.90 ZMW 504

$53.5 ฿1,807

-53.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.39 ZMW 352

$24.80 ฿837

-29.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.90 ZMW 909

$90.4 ฿3,050

-50.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.1 ZMW 1,319

$72.0 ฿2,428

-9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

420.65%

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

Last update for Kafue: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kafue

$233 41.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 1.6% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kafue

$133 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 29.1% $39

Eating Out

Kafue

$108 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 29% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Kafue

$69 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 58% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Kafue

$12 * 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 337% $39

Getting Around

Kafue

$9.6 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 510% $49

Accommodation & Living

Kafue

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kafue versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Kafue vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Kafue wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇲 Kafue

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

5 h ahead of Kafue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,174

127,240

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 4.94 USD

100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 20.25 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.94 USD). 1 EUR = 22.67 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZMW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kafue Chiang Mai 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kafue
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 66% more than Kafue, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $846 per month in Kafue and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $564 in Kafue and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes Kafue about 40% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kafue and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $564 in Kafue and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $564 in Kafue to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.