Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oamaru and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,809 in Oamaru, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
Learn more

Oamaru Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,809

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,809 per month in Oamaru vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oamaru $1,809
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,753 per month in Oamaru vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oamaru $2,753
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,698 per month in Oamaru vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oamaru $3,698
Chiang Mai $1,979

Oamaru costs about 93% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Oamaru sits 33% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 NZ$25.67

$2.24 ฿75.6

545.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$19.00 ฿641

259.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 NZ$16.33

$5.55 ฿187

65.77%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.94

$1.67 ฿56.5

100.60%

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

$2.30 NZ$4.09

$0.64 ฿21.54

259.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$0.31 ฿10.31

474.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 NZ$11.79

$2.36 ฿79.5

181.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 NZ$12.37

$3.66 ฿124

90.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.95 ฿65.7

-11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 NZ$2.34

$1.44 ฿48.46

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 NZ$2.60

$1.33 ฿45.03

10.53%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.28 ฿77.1

142.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 NZ$13.36

$16.45 ฿555

-54.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 NZ$15.72

$2.78 ฿93.9

218.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 NZ$24.21

$9.31 ฿314

46.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 NZ$4.25

$2.35 ฿79.4

1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 NZ$3.73

$0.97 ฿32.79

116.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 NZ$4.70

$1.60 ฿53.9

65.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.17

$1.50 ฿50.6

94.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 NZ$2.67

$1.28 ฿43.11

17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 NZ$2.47

$1.10 ฿37.18

26.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$0.71 ฿23.82

191.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 NZ$1.16

$0.49 ฿16.36

32.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.01 NZ$42.63

$4.14 ฿140

479.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$17.52 ฿591

-67.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 NZ$6.08

$1.61 ฿54.5

112.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.89

$2.78 ฿93.9

59.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 NZ$3.63

$0.87 ฿29.30

135.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$108 NZ$191

$54.1 ฿1,825

98.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 NZ$4.58

$1.16 ฿39.04

122.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$0.53 ฿17.80

224.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.67 NZ$50.9

$2.42 ฿81.7

1084.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$1.45 ฿48.88

11.72%

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

$28.8K NZ$51.2K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

36.92%

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

$23.7K NZ$42.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-11.89%

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

$157 NZ$279

$62.2 ฿2,098

152.66%

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

$20.20 NZ$35.86

$12.17 ฿411

65.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.97 NZ$79.8

$20.12 ฿679

123.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.17 NZ$69.6

$37.31 ฿1,259

4.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.03 NZ$17.81

$6.49 ฿219

54.55%

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

$677 NZ$1,202

$736 ฿24.8K

-8.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

51.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 NZ$102

$53.4 ฿1,801

7.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.36 NZ$30.83

$24.64 ฿831

-29.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.93 NZ$81.6

$91.5 ฿3,087

-49.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.0 NZ$90.6

$71.9 ฿2,427

-29.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,850

$482 ฿16.3K

116.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 NZ$1,419

$309 ฿10.4K

158.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 NZ$2,820

$1,006 ฿33.9K

57.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 NZ$2,531

$633 ฿21.4K

125.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,866 NZ$8,638

$2,363 ฿79.7K

105.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,783 NZ$6,716

$1,589 ฿53.6K

138.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,950 NZ$3,462

$590 ฿19.9K

230.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.57

6.10%

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

Last update for Oamaru: 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

Oamaru

$799 44.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.4% $490

Groceries & Markets

Oamaru

$277 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 15.3% $42

Eating Out

Oamaru

$247 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.6% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oamaru

$222 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.5% $128

Getting Around

Oamaru

$127 7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 51.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Oamaru

$77 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 40.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Oamaru

$59 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.1% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,042 in Oamaru 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 Oamaru are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Oamaru versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

6 h behind Oamaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,850

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 1, 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 1, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oamaru Chiang Mai 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Oamaru
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

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

Oamaru costs about 93% 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 $2,713 per month in Oamaru 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 $1,042 in Oamaru.

Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Oamaru 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 18% more in Oamaru, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,809 in Oamaru 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 $1,809 in Oamaru. 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, Oamaru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.