Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nowra NSW and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,649 in Nowra NSW, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Nowra NSW
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Nowra NSW Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,649

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,649 per month in Nowra NSW vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nowra NSW $2,649
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,808 per month in Nowra NSW vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nowra NSW $3,808
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,968 per month in Nowra NSW vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nowra NSW $4,968
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nowra NSW costs about 183% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nowra NSW sits 95% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 A$29.73

$2.24 ฿75.6

829.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$128

$19.00 ฿641

372.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 A$15.09

$5.55 ฿187

90.45%

Cappuccino

$4.04 A$5.77

$1.67 ฿56.5

141.92%

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

$3.09 A$4.42

$0.64 ฿21.53

382.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.57

$0.31 ฿10.30

706.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 A$12.35

$2.36 ฿79.5

266.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.96 A$14.22

$3.66 ฿124

172.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$1.95 ฿65.7

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.27

$1.44 ฿48.45

107.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$1.33 ฿45.01

93.23%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.54

$2.28 ฿77.0

131.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 A$16.88

$16.45 ฿555

-28.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 A$13.87

$2.78 ฿93.8

249.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 A$21.88

$9.31 ฿314

64.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 A$5.71

$2.35 ฿79.4

70.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.58

$0.97 ฿32.78

230.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.95

$1.60 ฿53.9

116.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 A$7.17

$1.50 ฿50.6

234.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.49

$1.28 ฿43.10

146.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.09

$1.10 ฿37.17

160.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$0.71 ฿23.81

249.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$1.99

$0.49 ฿16.36

183.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.62 A$63.7

$4.14 ฿140

977.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.82 A$19.72

$17.52 ฿591

-21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 A$6.55

$1.61 ฿54.5

185.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 A$7.84

$2.78 ฿93.9

97.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 A$3.85

$0.87 ฿29.29

209.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.1 A$116

$54.1 ฿1,825

49.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 A$5.79

$1.16 ฿39.03

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.27

$0.53 ฿17.79

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.76 A$62.5

$2.42 ฿81.7

1708.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.45 ฿48.87

-9.66%

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

$27.8K A$39.7K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

32.19%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-2.45%

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

$183 A$262

$62.2 ฿2,097

195.00%

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

$27.16 A$38.76

$12.17 ฿410

123.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$80.8

$20.12 ฿679

181.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 A$76.3

$37.31 ฿1,259

43.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 A$21.70

$3.77 ฿127

303.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 A$22.09

$6.49 ฿219

138.52%

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

$2,496 A$3,562

$736 ฿24.8K

239.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.8K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

36.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.4 A$110

$53.4 ฿1,800

45.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 A$80.0

$24.64 ฿831

127.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$91.5 ฿3,086

17.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$192

$71.9 ฿2,426

87.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,846

$482 ฿16.3K

168.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 A$1,865

$309 ฿10.4K

322.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 A$3,502

$1,006 ฿33.9K

143.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 A$2,718

$633 ฿21.4K

200.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,702 A$9,566

$2,363 ฿79.7K

183.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,378 A$7,676

$1,589 ฿53.6K

238.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Nowra NSW: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nowra NSW

$1.3K 49.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 76.4% $998

Groceries & Markets

Nowra NSW

$386 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.3% $152

Eating Out

Nowra NSW

$332 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.7% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nowra NSW

$267 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.6% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Nowra NSW

$169 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.7% $60

Getting Around

Nowra NSW

$104 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 40.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nowra NSW

$84 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 40.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,293 in Nowra NSW 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Nowra NSW versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Nowra NSW

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

4 h behind Nowra NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,598

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Nowra NSW Chiang Mai 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nowra NSW
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

Nowra NSW vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nowra NSW costs about 183% 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 $3,974 per month in Nowra NSW 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 $1,293 in Nowra NSW.

Kindergarten costs $2,496 per month in Nowra NSW 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 65% more in Nowra NSW, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,649 in Nowra NSW and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 65% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.