Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kempton Park and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,231 in Kempton Park, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Kempton Park
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Kempton Park Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kempton Park

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,231

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Kempton Park vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kempton Park $1,231
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,889 per month in Kempton Park vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kempton Park $1,889
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,547 per month in Kempton Park vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kempton Park $2,547
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kempton Park costs about 32% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kempton Park and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kempton Park 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.01 R 150

$2.24 ฿75.7

302.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.26 R 621

$19.00 ฿642

96.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 R 99.7

$5.55 ฿188

7.75%

Cappuccino

$2.42 R 40.35

$1.67 ฿56.6

44.91%

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

$1.04 R 17.25

$0.64 ฿21.56

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.58

$0.31 ฿10.32

161.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R 41.13

$2.36 ฿79.6

4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 47.02

$3.66 ฿124

-22.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.73

$1.95 ฿65.8

-30.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.25

$1.44 ฿48.51

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.38

$1.33 ฿45.07

36.84%

Eggs

$2.53 R 42.14

$2.28 ฿77.1

10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 R 142

$16.45 ฿556

-48.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 R 88.2

$2.78 ฿94.0

90.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 153

$9.31 ฿314

-1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.22

$2.35 ฿79.5

-20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.91

$0.97 ฿32.82

78.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.46

$1.60 ฿53.9

10.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R 32.99

$1.50 ฿50.7

32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.96

$1.28 ฿43.15

35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.32

$1.10 ฿37.22

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.59

$0.71 ฿23.84

74.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.49

$0.49 ฿16.38

163.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 56.3

$4.14 ฿140

-18.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.30 R 88.3

$17.52 ฿592

-69.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 R 27.63

$1.61 ฿54.5

3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R 40.30

$2.78 ฿94.0

-12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 26.05

$0.87 ฿29.33

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 R 1,017

$54.1 ฿1,827

12.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.17

$1.16 ฿39.08

-73.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R 13.67

$0.53 ฿17.82

54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.51 R 242

$2.42 ฿81.8

499.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.84

$1.45 ฿48.93

6.90%

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

$36.3K R 604.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

72.37%

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

$34.1K R 568.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

26.67%

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

$182 R 3,032

$62.2 ฿2,100

192.71%

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

$39.32 R 655

$12.17 ฿411

223.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.46 R 641

$20.12 ฿680

91.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.63 R 644

$37.31 ฿1,260

3.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 R 184

$3.77 ฿127

193.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 R 141

$6.49 ฿219

30.35%

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

$263 R 4,384

$736 ฿24.9K

-64.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,524 R 92.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-62.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 R 891

$53.4 ฿1,802

0.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 R 550

$24.64 ฿832

33.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 R 1,531

$91.5 ฿3,089

0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 R 1,402

$71.9 ฿2,429

16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 R 5,105

$482 ฿16.3K

-36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 R 6,173

$309 ฿10.4K

19.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 R 12.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-25.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 R 12.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

18.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 R 14.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-63.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 R 11.5K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-56.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$630 R 10.5K

$590 ฿19.9K

6.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

5.57

101.97%

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

Last update for Kempton Park: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kempton Park

$370 30.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 16.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kempton Park

$260 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63.6% $165

Groceries & Markets

Kempton Park

$211 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 11% $23

Eating Out

Kempton Park

$144 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 46.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Kempton Park

$118 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8% $9.5

Getting Around

Kempton Park

$72 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 14.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Kempton Park

$56 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $306 in Kempton Park 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 run about 7% higher in Kempton Park, 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 $37 in Kempton Park versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $211 in Kempton Park vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kempton Park wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Kempton Park

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

5 h ahead of Kempton Park

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kempton Park Chiang Mai 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kempton Park
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

Kempton Park vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kempton Park costs about 32% 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 $1,847 per month in Kempton Park 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 Kempton Park, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $306 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Kempton Park 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 10% cheaper in Kempton Park – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,231 in Kempton Park 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 $1,231 in Kempton Park. 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, Kempton Park makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.