Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Zealand and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $2,026 in New Zealand, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,026
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: New Zealand is 67.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 123.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: New Zealand is 84.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 113.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.03 NZ$25.00
$2.13 ฿71.4
558.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.1 NZ$120
$19.40 ฿649
245.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.11 NZ$16.23
$5.47 ฿183
66.54%
Cappuccino
$3.26 NZ$5.82
$1.68 ฿56.4
94.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 NZ$3.88
$0.66 ฿22.10
230.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 NZ$3.34
$0.34 ฿11.52
450.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.69 NZ$11.93
$2.42 ฿81.0
176.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.77 NZ$12.06
$3.73 ฿125
81.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 NZ$3.09
$2.06 ฿68.9
-16.02%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 NZ$3.31
$1.46 ฿48.78
27.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 NZ$3.16
$1.35 ฿45.09
31.85%
Eggs
$5.96 NZ$10.63
$2.27 ฿76.0
162.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.07 NZ$14.38
$16.31 ฿546
-50.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.39 NZ$16.74
$2.70 ฿90.3
247.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 NZ$24.88
$9.20 ฿308
51.74%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 NZ$4.87
$2.39 ฿80.1
14.23%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 NZ$3.73
$1.04 ฿34.66
100.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 NZ$5.24
$1.60 ฿53.7
83.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.98 NZ$8.87
$1.44 ฿48.37
245.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 NZ$3.60
$1.30 ฿43.59
55.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 NZ$2.64
$1.11 ฿37.29
33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 NZ$3.64
$0.70 ฿23.55
192.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 NZ$1.88
$0.51 ฿16.99
105.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.61 NZ$42.06
$4.13 ฿138
471.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.93 NZ$15.92
$17.78 ฿595
-49.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 NZ$5.37
$1.63 ฿54.7
84.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 NZ$5.62
$2.87 ฿96.0
9.76%
🚌 Getting Around
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.85 NZ$3.30
$0.86 ฿28.76
115.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$100 NZ$179
$53.2 ฿1,780
88.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.26 NZ$4.02
$1.22 ฿40.81
85.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 NZ$3.38
$0.56 ฿18.81
239.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.21 NZ$57.4
$2.31 ฿77.5
1294.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.68 NZ$3.00
$1.50 ฿50.2
12.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K NZ$44.3K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
19.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K NZ$42.2K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
-11.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 NZ$277
$61.3 ฿2,051
153.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.36 NZ$55.9
$12.50 ฿419
150.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.95 NZ$85.5
$20.36 ฿682
135.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.82 NZ$62.1
$37.94 ฿1,270
-8.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.77 NZ$26.33
$3.77 ฿126
291.78%
Cinema Ticket
$11.38 NZ$20.27
$6.60 ฿221
72.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$879 NZ$1,566
$774 ฿25.9K
13.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K NZ$29.3K
$14.4K ฿483.2K
13.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.7 NZ$122
$54.8 ฿1,835
25.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.27 NZ$62.8
$25.26 ฿846
39.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 NZ$163
$90.6 ฿3,032
1.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 NZ$208
$73.3 ฿2,453
59.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,076 NZ$1,918
$459 ฿15.4K
134.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$921 NZ$1,641
$294 ฿9,835
213.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,724 NZ$3,072
$919 ฿30.8K
87.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,477 NZ$2,631
$552 ฿18.5K
167.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,621 NZ$10.0K
$1,917 ฿64.2K
193.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,602 NZ$6,418
$1,445 ฿48.4K
149.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Zealand
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,752 NZ$4,903
$592 ฿19.8K
364.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.27
5.57
12.57%

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

Last update for New Zealand: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New Zealand
$921
Chiang Mai
$294 68.1% $627
Groceries & Markets
New Zealand
$312
Chiang Mai
$236 24.4% $76
Eating Out
New Zealand
$242
Chiang Mai
$77 68.1% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Zealand
$235
Chiang Mai
$94 59.9% $141
Clothing & Footwear
New Zealand
$141
Chiang Mai
$110 21.9% $31
Getting Around
New Zealand
$120
Chiang Mai
$61 49.3% $59
Sport & Entertainment
New Zealand
$58
Chiang Mai
$51 11.2% $6.4
Good to know
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
17:45 5:45 PM
11:45 11:45 AM
6 h behind New Zealand
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,118,700
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New Zealand Chiang Mai 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New Zealand
  • 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 Zealand vs other spots: cost of living compared

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