Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $841 per month in Masterton vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Masterton $841
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,446 per month in Masterton vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Masterton $1,446
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,051 per month in Masterton vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Masterton $2,051
Chiang Mai $1,979

Masterton is about 10% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Masterton and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Masterton 38% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$2.24 ฿75.6

313.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 NZ$115

$19.00 ฿641

241.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 NZ$15.58

$5.55 ฿187

58.02%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.95

$1.67 ฿56.5

100.60%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$0.64 ฿21.54

204.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$0.31 ฿10.31

258.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 NZ$7.04

$2.36 ฿79.5

67.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 NZ$6.04

$3.66 ฿124

-7.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$1.95 ฿65.7

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.44 ฿48.46

47.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.33 ฿45.03

-17.29%

Eggs

$6.49 NZ$11.51

$2.28 ฿77.1

184.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 NZ$15.25

$16.45 ฿555

-47.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 NZ$17.65

$2.78 ฿93.9

257.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 NZ$26.69

$9.31 ฿314

61.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$2.35 ฿79.4

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$0.97 ฿32.79

86.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.40

$1.60 ฿53.9

90.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NZ$7.95

$1.50 ฿50.6

198.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 NZ$2.69

$1.28 ฿43.11

17.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$1.10 ฿37.18

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$0.71 ฿23.82

140.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.93

$0.49 ฿16.36

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.90 NZ$35.33

$4.14 ฿140

380.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$17.52 ฿591

-34.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NZ$1.56

$1.61 ฿54.5

-45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.17

$2.78 ฿93.9

-56.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$0.87 ฿29.30

156.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$1.16 ฿39.04

62.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NZ$3.20

$0.53 ฿17.80

239.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.98 NZ$60.3

$2.42 ฿81.7

1304.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.45 ฿48.88

19.31%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

8.58%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-11.38%

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

$56.0 NZ$99.5

$62.2 ฿2,098

-9.88%

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

$29.91 NZ$53.1

$12.17 ฿411

145.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 NZ$94.8

$20.12 ฿679

165.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 NZ$75.2

$37.31 ฿1,259

13.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.22 NZ$14.59

$3.77 ฿127

118.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 NZ$16.81

$6.49 ฿219

45.92%

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

$1,038 NZ$1,844

$736 ฿24.8K

41.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-9.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 NZ$101

$53.4 ฿1,801

6.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.47 NZ$50.6

$24.64 ฿831

15.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 NZ$186

$91.5 ฿3,087

14.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$250

$71.9 ฿2,427

95.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 NZ$1,809

$1,006 ฿33.9K

1.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,339 NZ$4,152

$590 ฿19.9K

296.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.57

-3.23%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$293 34.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 20% $58

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 56.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$149 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 27% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$139 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 32.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18% $11

Getting Around

Masterton

$20 * 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 209% $42

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Masterton are about 4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Masterton versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

04:17 4:17 AM

6 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

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

Masterton Chiang Mai 10,300 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Masterton, 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 $1,262 per month in Masterton and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Masterton and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $841 in Masterton to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.