Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,198 in Knysna, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Knysna $1,198
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Knysna $1,788
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Knysna $2,379
Chiang Mai $1,903

Knysna costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Knysna and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Knysna 12% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$2.29 ฿76.5

320.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$19.64 ฿656

99.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$5.61 ฿188

2.14%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$1.66 ฿55.6

27.11%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$0.70 ฿23.40

52.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$0.31 ฿10.24

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.41 ฿80.4

-2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$3.71 ฿124

-25.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.95 ฿65.3

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.41 ฿47.03

-24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$1.31 ฿43.62

12.21%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$2.18 ฿72.9

28.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$16.65 ฿556

-47.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$2.76 ฿92.2

77.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$9.11 ฿304

-11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$2.39 ฿80.0

-33.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.03 ฿34.26

49.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.63 ฿54.4

-1.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.50 ฿50.0

3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.29 ฿43.13

24.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$1.11 ฿37.03

25.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$0.72 ฿24.08

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$0.53 ฿17.59

94.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$4.31 ฿144

-24.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$17.95 ฿600

-72.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.58 ฿52.9

-23.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.84 ฿95.0

-45.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$0.86 ฿28.86

73.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$1.21 ฿40.29

-48.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$0.57 ฿18.99

-1.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$2.35 ฿78.6

254.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$1.44 ฿47.96

-2.08%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

13.84%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

3.26%

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

$113 R 1,855

$62.3 ฿2,083

80.62%

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

$33.83 R 557

$12.11 ฿405

179.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$19.94 ฿666

123.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$37.07 ฿1,239

30.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$3.78 ฿126

160.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$6.50 ฿217

34.77%

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

$182 R 3,001

$793 ฿26.5K

-77.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-60.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$53.7 ฿1,796

-21.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$24.62 ฿823

37.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$90.9 ฿3,036

18.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$71.1 ฿2,378

8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$455 ฿15.2K

12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$298 ฿9,954

61.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$908 ฿30.4K

-7.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$554 ฿18.5K

44.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-48.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-26.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$591 ฿19.7K

59.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

5.57

112.39%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 38% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 50.6% $97

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 24% $46

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 45.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 7.8% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 24% $16

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 547% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $514 in Knysna versus $455 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 59% higher in Knysna, 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 $39.00 in Knysna versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Knysna vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Knysna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

5 h ahead of Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Knysna Chiang Mai 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
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

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

Knysna costs about 29% 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 $1,797 per month in Knysna and $1,388 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 $39.00 in Knysna and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Knysna – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Knysna at $1,198. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Knysna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,198 in Knysna. 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, Knysna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.