Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,020 in Newcastle, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Newcastle outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Newcastle vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newcastle $1,020
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,627 per month in Newcastle vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newcastle $1,627
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,235 per month in Newcastle vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Newcastle $2,235
Chiang Mai $1,999

Newcastle costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Newcastle and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Newcastle 25% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 R 150

$2.13 ฿71.7

329.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 R 595

$18.62 ฿625

94.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 R 87.4

$5.60 ฿188

-4.82%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.39

$1.66 ฿55.9

37.35%

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

$1.03 R 16.83

$0.65 ฿21.73

58.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.24

$0.30 ฿10.24

170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.73

$2.32 ฿78.0

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 R 55.4

$3.67 ฿123

-7.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.50

$2.02 ฿67.7

-41.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.03

$1.41 ฿47.29

-21.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R 21.91

$1.39 ฿46.75

-3.60%

Eggs

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.37 ฿79.5

-22.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 R 111

$16.52 ฿555

-58.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 81.6

$2.67 ฿89.7

86.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R 122

$9.02 ฿303

-17.63%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 R 13.85

$2.40 ฿80.6

-65.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 R 16.83

$1.04 ฿34.98

-0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R 15.23

$1.66 ฿55.7

-43.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.55

$1.56 ฿52.4

-12.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R 15.69

$1.24 ฿41.57

-22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.23

$1.09 ฿36.50

12.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R 12.62

$0.76 ฿25.59

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R 10.01

$0.51 ฿17.27

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 52.9

$4.12 ฿138

-21.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.93 R 48.01

$17.93 ฿602

-83.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 22.50

$1.62 ฿54.5

-15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.39

$2.82 ฿94.8

-68.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 R 26.10

$0.93 ฿31.39

70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.16

$1.18 ฿39.52

-73.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.53

$0.17 ฿5.76

347.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.48 R 238

$1.81 ฿60.9

700.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.16

$1.47 ฿49.47

4.08%

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

$35.8K R 587.8K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

70.50%

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

$34.1K R 560.0K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

28.73%

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

$154 R 2,527

$62.6 ฿2,101

146.21%

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

$37.56 R 616

$11.60 ฿390

223.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.63 R 601

$20.30 ฿682

80.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 R 536

$37.88 ฿1,272

-13.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.38 R 170

$3.70 ฿124

180.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$6.51 ฿219

11.98%

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

$265 R 4,353

$727 ฿24.4K

-63.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,178 R 101.4K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-62.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 R 865

$53.5 ฿1,798

-1.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R 525

$24.80 ฿833

29.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 R 1,505

$90.4 ฿3,036

1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 R 1,347

$72.0 ฿2,418

14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R 7,116

$481 ฿16.2K

-9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 R 5,260

$310 ฿10.4K

3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 R 12.4K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-28.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 R 12.3K

$659 ฿22.1K

14.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$676 R 11.1K

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-72.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 R 11.5K

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-56.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

5.57

103.59%

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

Last update for Newcastle: 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

Newcastle

$321 31.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 3.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newcastle

$228 22.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.6% $134

Groceries & Markets

Newcastle

$154 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 53.4% $82

Eating Out

Newcastle

$142 14%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 46.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Newcastle

$116 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 6.9% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Newcastle

$47 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 7.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Newcastle

$11 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 459% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Newcastle 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Newcastle versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $154 in Newcastle vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Newcastle wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

16:45 4:45 PM

5 h ahead of Newcastle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

363,236

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Newcastle Chiang Mai 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Newcastle
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

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

Newcastle costs about 9% 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 $1,529 per month in Newcastle 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 Newcastle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Newcastle and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 35% cheaper in Newcastle – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,020 in Newcastle 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 $1,020 in Newcastle. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.