Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Mbabane is 18.2% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 14.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Mbabane is 4.1% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 11.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.10 SZL 51.1
$2.03 ฿64.2
52.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.65 SZL 472
$18.59 ฿588
54.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.37 SZL 38.99
$7.48 ฿237
-68.32%
Cappuccino
$1.95 SZL 32.13
$2.00 ฿63.2
-2.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 SZL 16.19
$0.85 ฿26.81
15.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 SZL 9.02
$0.35 ฿11.13
57.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.64 SZL 27.06
$2.21 ฿70.0
-25.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 SZL 28.25
$3.76 ฿119
-54.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 SZL 17.09
$1.72 ฿54.4
-39.53%
White Bread (500g)
$0.72 SZL 11.88
$1.63 ฿51.7
-55.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.24 SZL 20.35
$1.16 ฿36.66
6.90%
Eggs
$1.66 SZL 27.28
$1.98 ฿62.6
-16.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.81 SZL 145
$15.93 ฿504
-44.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.85 SZL 79.9
$3.17 ฿100
53.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.06 SZL 83.4
$10.90 ฿345
-53.58%
Apples (1kg)
$1.55 SZL 25.60
$2.65 ฿83.7
-41.51%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 SZL 12.29
$1.22 ฿38.70
-38.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.90 SZL 14.91
$1.70 ฿53.7
-47.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.39 SZL 22.96
$1.59 ฿50.3
-12.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 SZL 16.74
$1.32 ฿41.90
-22.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 SZL 20.10
$1.17 ฿36.99
4.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.56 SZL 9.15
$0.68 ฿21.46
-17.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 SZL 12.15
$0.56 ฿17.64
32.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.63 SZL 43.26
$4.51 ฿143
-41.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.29 SZL 104
$19.07 ฿604
-67.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 SZL 23.82
$1.77 ฿56.0
-18.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 SZL 23.30
$3.18 ฿101
-55.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.15 SZL 19.00
$0.96 ฿30.47
19.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.32 SZL 483
$18.90 ฿598
55.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.26 SZL 53.7
$1.36 ฿42.98
139.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.70 SZL 44.44
$1.35 ฿42.80
100.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 SZL 54.3
$8.03 ฿254
-58.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 SZL 18.70
$1.24 ฿39.34
-8.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.8K SZL 277.6K
$21.2K ฿669.8K
-20.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.6K SZL 339.6K
$21.8K ฿688.5K
-5.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.6 SZL 1,263
$71.2 ฿2,255
7.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.52 SZL 569
$14.09 ฿446
145.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.80 SZL 458
$17.47 ฿553
59.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.23 SZL 465
$42.07 ฿1,332
-32.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.07 SZL 83.6
$6.88 ฿218
-26.31%
Cinema Ticket
$3.59 SZL 59.2
$5.94 ฿188
-39.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$105 SZL 1,731
$307 ฿9,728
-65.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,528 SZL 74.6K
$14.8K ฿468.2K
-69.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.63 SZL 736
$55.7 ฿1,762
-19.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.18 SZL 382
$26.79 ฿848
-13.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.0 SZL 1,203
$83.2 ฿2,634
-12.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 SZL 1,339
$70.1 ฿2,219
15.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$264 SZL 4,358
$427 ฿13.5K
-38.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$179 SZL 2,944
$237 ฿7,504
-24.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$492 SZL 8,106
$802 ฿25.4K
-38.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$367 SZL 6,042
$503 ฿15.9K
-27.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$376 SZL 6,193
$2,061 ฿65.2K
-81.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$273 SZL 4,498
$1,533 ฿48.5K
-82.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mbabane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$789 SZL 13.0K
$654 ฿20.7K
20.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.62
5
132.40%

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

Last update for Mbabane: March 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities