Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oudtshoorn and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,151 in Oudtshoorn, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Oudtshoorn, South Africa
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Oudtshoorn
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,151
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,151 per month in Oudtshoorn vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Oudtshoorn $1,151
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Oudtshoorn vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Oudtshoorn $1,686
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Oudtshoorn vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Oudtshoorn $2,220
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Oudtshoorn costs about 23% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oudtshoorn and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Oudtshoorn 15% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.44 R 139
$2.13 ฿71.8
296.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.62 R 553
$18.62 ฿626
80.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 R 96.0
$5.60 ฿188
4.11%
Cappuccino
$2.26 R 37.23
$1.66 ฿55.9
36.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.71
$0.65 ฿21.75
36.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 R 15.08
$0.30 ฿10.25
206.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.33 R 38.35
$2.32 ฿78.1
0.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 R 39.61
$3.67 ฿123
-34.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R 17.58
$2.02 ฿67.8
-47.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 R 16.43
$1.41 ฿47.34
-29.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.23
$1.39 ฿46.79
19.42%
Eggs
$2.52 R 41.42
$2.37 ฿79.6
6.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.09 R 133
$16.52 ฿555
-51.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.84 R 79.7
$2.67 ฿89.8
81.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.84 R 129
$9.02 ฿303
-13.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.88 R 30.96
$2.40 ฿80.6
-21.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.61
$1.04 ฿35.01
44.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 R 30.68
$1.66 ฿55.8
12.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.73
$1.56 ฿52.4
-3.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.27 R 20.84
$1.24 ฿41.61
2.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.00
$1.09 ฿36.53
33.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 R 20.02
$0.76 ฿25.61
60.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R 22.05
$0.51 ฿17.29
162.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.63 R 59.8
$4.12 ฿139
-11.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.42 R 89.2
$17.93 ฿603
-69.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 R 24.73
$1.62 ฿54.6
-7.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 R 30.34
$2.82 ฿94.9
-34.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.82 R 29.88
$0.93 ฿31.42
95.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$52.9 ฿1,778
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.89 R 14.72
$1.18 ฿39.56
-24.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 R 14.09
$0.17 ฿5.76
405.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.04 R 165
$1.81 ฿60.9
454.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 R 24.09
$1.47 ฿49.51
-0.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.4K R 599.0K
$21.0K ฿706.4K
73.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K R 544.2K
$26.5K ฿891.4K
24.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 R 2,799
$62.6 ฿2,103
172.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.56 R 519
$11.60 ฿390
172.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.52 R 634
$20.30 ฿683
89.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.27 R 547
$37.88 ฿1,274
-12.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.12 R 199
$3.70 ฿124
227.57%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 R 107
$6.51 ฿219
-0.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$262 R 4,302
$727 ฿24.4K
-64.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,514 R 107.2K
$16.6K ฿557.2K
-60.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.3 R 827
$53.5 ฿1,800
-6.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.13 R 594
$24.80 ฿834
45.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 R 1,704
$90.4 ฿3,039
14.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.6 R 1,556
$72.0 ฿2,420
31.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$345 R 5,676
$481 ฿16.2K
-28.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$396 R 6,517
$310 ฿10.4K
27.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$820 R 13.5K
$1,058 ฿35.6K
-22.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$645 R 10.6K
$659 ฿22.1K
-1.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$726 R 11.9K
$2,418 ฿81.3K
-69.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$690 R 11.4K
$1,609 ฿54.1K
-57.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oudtshoorn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$595 ฿20.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.92
5.57
96.05%

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

Last update for Oudtshoorn: 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
Oudtshoorn
$396
Chiang Mai
$310 21.8% $86
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oudtshoorn
$240
Chiang Mai
$94 60.7% $146
Groceries & Markets
Oudtshoorn
$192
Chiang Mai
$237 23% $44
Eating Out
Oudtshoorn
$136
Chiang Mai
$77 43.6% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Oudtshoorn
$128
Chiang Mai
$108 15.4% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Oudtshoorn
$46
Chiang Mai
$51 10.1% $4.7
Getting Around
Oudtshoorn
$12 *
Chiang Mai
$59 372% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $345 in Oudtshoorn 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 $34 in Oudtshoorn versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Oudtshoorn vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Oudtshoorn wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Oudtshoorn
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
22:36 10:36 PM
03:36 3:36 AM
5 h ahead of Oudtshoorn
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,507
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oudtshoorn Chiang Mai 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Oudtshoorn
  • 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
Oudtshoorn vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Oudtshoorn or Chiang Mai?
Oudtshoorn costs about 23% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Oudtshoorn and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,727 per month in Oudtshoorn and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Oudtshoorn or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Oudtshoorn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $345 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Oudtshoorn and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Oudtshoorn and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Oudtshoorn or in Chiang Mai?
Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Oudtshoorn – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $800/month in Oudtshoorn or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,151 in Oudtshoorn and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Oudtshoorn or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,151 in Oudtshoorn. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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