Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manukau and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,914 in Manukau, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,914 per month in Manukau vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manukau $1,914
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,853 per month in Manukau vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manukau $2,853
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,792 per month in Manukau vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manukau $3,792
Chiang Mai $1,979

Manukau costs about 105% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Manukau sits 41% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.06 NZ$21.42

$2.24 ฿75.6

438.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 NZ$121

$19.00 ฿641

258.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 NZ$14.71

$5.55 ฿187

49.19%

Cappuccino

$3.48 NZ$6.19

$1.67 ฿56.5

108.38%

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

$2.04 NZ$3.63

$0.64 ฿21.54

218.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$0.31 ฿10.31

461.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.22 NZ$11.05

$2.36 ฿79.5

163.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 NZ$9.98

$3.66 ฿124

53.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 NZ$2.56

$1.95 ฿65.7

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 NZ$2.31

$1.44 ฿48.46

-9.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.37

$1.33 ฿45.03

42.86%

Eggs

$5.26 NZ$9.34

$2.28 ฿77.1

130.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.80

$16.45 ฿555

-66.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 NZ$13.24

$2.78 ฿93.9

168.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 NZ$21.23

$9.31 ฿314

28.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 NZ$4.55

$2.35 ฿79.4

9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.84

$0.97 ฿32.79

122.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$1.60 ฿53.9

85.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.16

$1.50 ฿50.6

281.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.70

$1.28 ฿43.11

63.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.55

$1.10 ฿37.18

30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$0.71 ฿23.82

183.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NZ$1.62

$0.49 ฿16.36

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.51 NZ$45.30

$4.14 ฿140

516.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.51 NZ$18.65

$17.52 ฿591

-40.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.04

$1.61 ฿54.5

76.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 NZ$5.90

$2.78 ฿93.9

19.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$0.87 ฿29.30

112.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 NZ$197

$54.1 ฿1,825

105.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$1.16 ฿39.04

96.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

$0.53 ฿17.80

266.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.50 NZ$57.7

$2.42 ฿81.7

1242.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$1.45 ฿48.88

18.62%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

29.50%

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

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-18.93%

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

$58.0 NZ$103

$62.2 ฿2,098

-6.72%

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

$26.67 NZ$47.35

$12.17 ฿411

119.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 NZ$90.3

$20.12 ฿679

152.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 NZ$77.0

$37.31 ฿1,259

16.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 NZ$21.92

$6.49 ฿219

90.29%

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

$687 NZ$1,220

$736 ฿24.8K

-6.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

31.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NZ$111

$53.4 ฿1,801

16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.79 NZ$68.9

$24.64 ฿831

57.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 NZ$164

$91.5 ฿3,087

1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NZ$198

$71.9 ฿2,427

55.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 NZ$1,840

$482 ฿16.3K

114.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 NZ$1,669

$309 ฿10.4K

204.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 NZ$2,912

$1,006 ฿33.9K

63.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 NZ$2,653

$633 ฿21.4K

135.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 NZ$8,834

$2,363 ฿79.7K

110.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,073 NZ$5,457

$1,589 ฿53.6K

93.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,825 NZ$3,239

$590 ฿19.9K

209.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Manukau: 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

Manukau

$940 49.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 67.1% $631

Groceries & Markets

Manukau

$282 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.9% $48

Eating Out

Manukau

$221 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Manukau

$137 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 20.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manukau

$136 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 30.3% $41

Getting Around

Manukau

$131 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 53% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Manukau

$68 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,036 in Manukau 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 Manukau are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Manukau versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Manukau

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

6 h behind Manukau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,000

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

Manukau Chiang Mai 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Manukau
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

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

Manukau costs about 105% 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 $2,871 per month in Manukau 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 $1,036 in Manukau.

Kindergarten costs $687 per month in Manukau 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 20% more in Manukau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,914 in Manukau 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 $1,914 in Manukau. 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, Manukau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.