Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mutare and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $780 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mutare
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Mutare Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mutare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$780

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $780 per month in Mutare vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mutare $780
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,212 per month in Mutare vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mutare $1,212
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,643 per month in Mutare vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mutare $1,643
Chiang Mai $1,999

Mutare is about 17% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mutare and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mutare 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 ZWL 260

$2.13 ฿71.2

360.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.81 ZWL 1,189

$18.62 ฿622

140.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.48 ZWL 119

$5.60 ฿187

-20.00%

Cappuccino

$1.21 ZWL 32.22

$1.66 ฿55.5

-27.11%

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

$0.73 ZWL 19.31

$0.65 ฿21.59

12.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ZWL 12.35

$0.30 ฿10.18

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 ZWL 32.84

$2.32 ฿77.5

-46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ZWL 48.80

$3.67 ฿122

-49.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ZWL 32.51

$2.02 ฿67.3

-39.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.02

$1.41 ฿47.00

-30.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 ZWL 33.79

$1.39 ฿46.46

-8.63%

Eggs

$1.92 ZWL 50.9

$2.37 ฿79.0

-18.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 ZWL 78.9

$16.52 ฿551

-82.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ZWL 104

$2.67 ฿89.1

46.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 ZWL 136

$9.02 ฿301

-43.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 ZWL 54.6

$2.40 ฿80.1

-14.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ZWL 45.56

$1.04 ฿34.76

65.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ZWL 54.5

$1.66 ฿55.4

23.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ZWL 27.31

$1.56 ฿52.0

-33.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ZWL 44.33

$1.24 ฿41.31

34.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ZWL 25.80

$1.09 ฿36.27

-11.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ZWL 13.81

$0.76 ฿25.43

-31.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ZWL 26.47

$0.51 ฿17.16

96.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.19 ZWL 31.49

$4.12 ฿138

-71.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.85 ZWL 155

$17.93 ฿598

-67.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ZWL 32.45

$1.62 ฿54.2

-24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ZWL 44.26

$2.82 ฿94.2

-40.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ZWL 19.26

$0.93 ฿31.19

-21.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.36 ZWL 726

$52.9 ฿1,766

-48.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ZWL 79.1

$1.18 ฿39.28

152.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ZWL 53.9

$0.17 ฿5.72

1094.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 ZWL 134

$1.81 ฿60.5

179.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 ZWL 47.99

$1.47 ฿49.16

23.13%

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

$21.8K ZWL 577.9K

$21.0K ฿701.4K

3.63%

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

$24.1K ZWL 640.4K

$26.5K ฿885.1K

-9.00%

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

$50.3 ZWL 1,336

$62.6 ฿2,088

-19.53%

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

$14.71 ZWL 390

$11.60 ฿387

26.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 ZWL 1,583

$20.30 ฿678

193.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.90 ZWL 1,059

$37.88 ฿1,264

5.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.95 ZWL 131

$3.70 ฿123

33.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 ZWL 270

$6.51 ฿217

56.22%

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

$150 ZWL 3,983

$727 ฿24.3K

-79.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,598 ZWL 228.2K

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-48.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.93 ZWL 263

$53.5 ฿1,787

-81.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.69 ZWL 257

$24.80 ฿828

-60.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.39 ZWL 674

$90.4 ฿3,017

-71.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.14 ZWL 534

$72.0 ฿2,402

-72.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$356 ZWL 9,447

$481 ฿16.1K

-26.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 ZWL 6,542

$310 ฿10.3K

-20.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 ZWL 19.8K

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-29.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ZWL 10.4K

$659 ฿22.0K

-40.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$254 ZWL 6,751

$2,418 ฿80.7K

-89.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 ZWL 6,728

$595 ฿19.9K

-57.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

5.57

145.78%

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

Last update for Mutare: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mutare

$247 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 25.7% $63

Groceries & Markets

Mutare

$155 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 52.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mutare

$125 16%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 24.2% $30

Eating Out

Mutare

$121 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 36.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mutare

$60 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 15.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Mutare

$43 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 35.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Mutare

$29 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 269% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $356 in Mutare 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 Chiang Mai are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Mutare versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $155 in Mutare vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Mutare wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Mutare

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

5 h ahead of Mutare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,243

127,240

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 26.54 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.82 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mutare Chiang Mai 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mutare
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Mutare, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,170 per month in Mutare 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 Mutare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $356 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Mutare and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Mutare – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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