Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Plymouth and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,820 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,820 per month in New Plymouth vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Plymouth $1,820
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in New Plymouth vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Plymouth $2,828
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in New Plymouth vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

New Plymouth $3,836
Chiang Mai $1,979

New Plymouth costs about 95% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

New Plymouth sits 34% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 NZ$22.06

$2.24 ฿75.6

454.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 NZ$121

$19.00 ฿641

257.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 NZ$14.98

$5.55 ฿187

52.07%

Cappuccino

$3.34 NZ$5.93

$1.67 ฿56.5

100.00%

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

$2.12 NZ$3.76

$0.64 ฿21.54

231.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 NZ$3.28

$0.31 ฿10.31

496.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.32 NZ$9.45

$2.36 ฿79.5

125.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 NZ$10.02

$3.66 ฿124

54.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$1.95 ฿65.7

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NZ$2.22

$1.44 ฿48.46

-13.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 NZ$2.92

$1.33 ฿45.03

24.06%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.28 ฿77.1

142.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.79

$16.45 ฿555

-66.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.19 NZ$12.76

$2.78 ฿93.9

158.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 NZ$20.28

$9.31 ฿314

22.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NZ$4.67

$2.35 ฿79.4

11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$0.97 ฿32.79

91.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.20

$1.60 ฿53.9

83.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$1.50 ฿50.6

308.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$1.28 ฿43.11

55.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.10 ฿37.18

28.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 NZ$3.33

$0.71 ฿23.82

164.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 NZ$2.35

$0.49 ฿16.36

169.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 NZ$41.04

$4.14 ฿140

458.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 NZ$15.51

$17.52 ฿591

-50.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 NZ$5.37

$1.61 ฿54.5

88.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 NZ$6.72

$2.78 ฿93.9

35.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 NZ$2.99

$0.87 ฿29.30

93.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.6 NZ$133

$54.1 ฿1,825

37.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 NZ$6.53

$1.16 ฿39.04

217.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.45 ฿48.88

15.17%

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

$28.7K NZ$50.9K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

36.16%

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

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-15.41%

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

$130 NZ$231

$62.2 ฿2,098

108.86%

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

$27.85 NZ$49.44

$12.17 ฿411

128.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.35 NZ$85.8

$20.12 ฿679

140.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.29 NZ$76.9

$37.31 ฿1,259

16.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 NZ$14.55

$6.49 ฿219

26.35%

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

$680 NZ$1,206

$736 ฿24.8K

-7.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

56.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 NZ$109

$53.4 ฿1,801

14.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.74 NZ$68.8

$24.64 ฿831

57.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 NZ$161

$91.5 ฿3,087

-0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NZ$188

$71.9 ฿2,427

47.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 NZ$1,611

$482 ฿16.3K

88.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 NZ$1,485

$309 ฿10.4K

170.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 NZ$3,089

$1,006 ฿33.9K

72.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 NZ$2,821

$633 ฿21.4K

150.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,209 NZ$5,697

$2,363 ฿79.7K

35.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 NZ$4,655

$1,589 ฿53.6K

65.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,787 NZ$4,948

$590 ฿19.9K

372.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

5.57

6.46%

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

Last update for New Plymouth: 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

New Plymouth

$836 45.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 63.1% $527

Groceries & Markets

New Plymouth

$281 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.7% $47

Eating Out

New Plymouth

$219 12%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Plymouth

$206 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

New Plymouth

$133 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.6% $25

Getting Around

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 27.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

New Plymouth

$60 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.8% $9.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $907 in New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in New Plymouth versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

09:25 9:25 AM

6 h behind New Plymouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,400

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 2, 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 2, 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

New Plymouth Chiang Mai 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

New Plymouth
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

New Plymouth vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth costs about 95% 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 $2,731 per month in New Plymouth 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 $907 in New Plymouth.

Kindergarten costs $680 per month in New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,820 in New Plymouth 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 $1,820 in New Plymouth. 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, New Plymouth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.