Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg, South Africa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,099 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,099

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,099 per month in Middelburg vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middelburg $1,099
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,695 per month in Middelburg vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middelburg $1,695
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,291 per month in Middelburg vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middelburg $2,291
Chiang Mai $1,999

Middelburg costs about 17% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Middelburg and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Middelburg 19% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.53 R 157

$2.13 ฿71.8

347.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.98 R 592

$18.62 ฿626

93.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.5

$5.60 ฿188

4.82%

Cappuccino

$1.29 R 21.26

$1.66 ฿55.9

-22.29%

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

$0.83 R 13.58

$0.65 ฿21.75

27.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 R 10.54

$0.30 ฿10.25

113.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R 19.28

$2.32 ฿78.1

-49.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.01

$3.67 ฿123

-58.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.20

$2.02 ฿67.8

-42.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.14

$1.41 ฿47.34

-26.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.09

$1.39 ฿46.79

5.04%

Eggs

$1.70 R 28.00

$2.37 ฿79.6

-28.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.76 R 94.8

$16.52 ฿555

-65.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 R 81.6

$2.67 ฿89.8

85.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 109

$9.02 ฿303

-26.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.35

$2.40 ฿80.6

-30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.79

$1.04 ฿35.01

3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.42

$1.66 ฿55.8

-32.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.35

$1.56 ฿52.4

-20.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.38

$1.24 ฿41.61

39.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.27

$1.09 ฿36.53

12.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.37

$0.76 ฿25.61

63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.10

$0.51 ฿17.29

103.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 R 39.37

$4.12 ฿139

-41.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 78.9

$17.93 ฿603

-73.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 28.99

$1.62 ฿54.6

8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 33.85

$2.82 ฿94.9

-26.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 R 23.40

$0.93 ฿31.42

52.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.88 R 705

$52.9 ฿1,778

-18.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 R 15.45

$1.18 ฿39.56

-20.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R 12.24

$0.17 ฿5.76

335.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 R 190

$1.81 ฿60.9

539.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.95

$1.47 ฿49.51

-9.52%

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

$34.3K R 563.7K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

63.07%

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

$31.9K R 525.0K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

20.36%

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

$151 R 2,487

$62.6 ฿2,103

141.64%

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

$35.28 R 580

$11.60 ฿390

204.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.41 R 615

$20.30 ฿683

84.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.36 R 532

$37.88 ฿1,274

-14.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.35 R 203

$3.70 ฿124

233.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.25 R 103

$6.51 ฿219

-3.99%

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

$236 R 3,879

$727 ฿24.4K

-67.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,077 R 100.0K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-63.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R 874

$53.5 ฿1,800

-0.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 R 523

$24.80 ฿834

28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 R 1,626

$90.4 ฿3,039

9.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 R 1,427

$72.0 ฿2,420

20.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,546

$481 ฿16.2K

-17.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 R 5,944

$310 ฿10.4K

16.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R 11.8K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-32.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 R 12.0K

$659 ฿22.1K

10.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-68.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$670 R 11.0K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-58.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 R 19.6K

$595 ฿20.0K

100.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

5.57

96.05%

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

Last update for Middelburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middelburg

$361 32.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 14.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$224 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.8% $129

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$170 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 39.4% $67

Eating Out

Middelburg

$124 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 38.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$122 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 11% $13

Getting Around

Middelburg

$53 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 10.2% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$45 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 13.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $398 in Middelburg versus $481 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 Middelburg are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Middelburg versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $170 in Middelburg vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Middelburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

02:49 2:49 AM

5 h ahead of Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,348

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Middelburg Chiang Mai 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

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

Middelburg costs about 17% 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 $1,648 per month in Middelburg 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 Middelburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $398 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $236 per month in Middelburg and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Middelburg – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,099 in Middelburg and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,099 in Middelburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Middelburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.