Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kerikeri and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,901 in Kerikeri, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Kerikeri
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Kerikeri Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Kerikeri

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,901

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,901 per month in Kerikeri vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kerikeri $1,901
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,858 per month in Kerikeri vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kerikeri $2,858
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,815 per month in Kerikeri vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kerikeri $3,815
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kerikeri costs about 103% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kerikeri sits 40% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.84

$2.24 ฿75.6

524.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 NZ$122

$19.00 ฿641

262.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 NZ$16.32

$5.55 ฿187

65.59%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.96

$1.67 ฿56.5

100.60%

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

$2.05 NZ$3.64

$0.64 ฿21.54

220.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$0.31 ฿10.31

474.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 NZ$11.76

$2.36 ฿79.5

180.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 NZ$11.93

$3.66 ฿124

83.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.95 ฿65.7

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$1.44 ฿48.46

54.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.33 ฿45.03

42.11%

Eggs

$6.31 NZ$11.21

$2.28 ฿77.1

176.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 NZ$14.05

$16.45 ฿555

-51.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 NZ$18.06

$2.78 ฿93.9

266.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.40 NZ$30.89

$9.31 ฿314

86.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.09

$2.35 ฿79.4

22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.87

$0.97 ฿32.79

124.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.33

$1.60 ฿53.9

87.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 NZ$10.67

$1.50 ฿50.6

300.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.28 ฿43.11

61.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.10 ฿37.18

38.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$0.71 ฿23.82

177.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 NZ$0.97

$0.49 ฿16.36

10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.72 NZ$49.22

$4.14 ฿140

569.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 NZ$18.76

$17.52 ฿591

-39.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$1.61 ฿54.5

79.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 NZ$6.08

$2.78 ฿93.9

23.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$0.87 ฿29.30

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 NZ$189

$54.1 ฿1,825

96.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$1.16 ฿39.04

50.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.94

$0.53 ฿17.80

213.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.70 NZ$58.1

$2.42 ฿81.7

1251.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.87

$1.45 ฿48.88

11.72%

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

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

26.93%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-17.91%

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

$119 NZ$212

$62.2 ฿2,098

91.75%

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

$27.03 NZ$48.00

$12.17 ฿411

122.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$90.1

$20.12 ฿679

152.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.13 NZ$67.7

$37.31 ฿1,259

2.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 NZ$18.35

$6.49 ฿219

59.32%

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

$1,059 NZ$1,880

$736 ฿24.8K

43.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

31.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 NZ$141

$53.4 ฿1,801

48.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 NZ$59.6

$24.64 ฿831

36.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 NZ$170

$91.5 ฿3,087

4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$198

$71.9 ฿2,427

54.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 NZ$1,719

$482 ฿16.3K

100.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 NZ$1,420

$309 ฿10.4K

158.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 NZ$2,876

$1,006 ฿33.9K

61.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,286

$633 ฿21.4K

103.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,323 NZ$7,676

$2,363 ฿79.7K

82.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,871 NZ$5,098

$1,589 ฿53.6K

80.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,793 NZ$10.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

882.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.57

-3.59%

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

Last update for Kerikeri: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kerikeri

$800 42.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.4% $491

Groceries & Markets

Kerikeri

$337 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.4% $102

Eating Out

Kerikeri

$242 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.9% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kerikeri

$197 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Kerikeri

$144 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.5% $35

Getting Around

Kerikeri

$123 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Kerikeri

$59 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.5% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $968 in Kerikeri 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 Kerikeri are about 9.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Kerikeri versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Kerikeri

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

6 h behind Kerikeri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

127,240

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kerikeri Chiang Mai 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kerikeri
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

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

Kerikeri costs about 103% 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 $2,852 per month in Kerikeri 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 $968 in Kerikeri.

Kindergarten costs $1,059 per month in Kerikeri 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 44% more in Kerikeri, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,901 in Kerikeri and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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