Cost of Living Comparison Between Paihia and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Paihia and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Paihia is 65.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 125.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Paihia is 104.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 111.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.13 NZ$25.87
$2.03 ฿64.8
645.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.55 NZ$60.8
$18.59 ฿594
91.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.16 NZ$15.67
$7.48 ฿239
22.46%
Cappuccino
$3.37 NZ$5.77
$2.00 ฿63.8
68.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 NZ$4.00
$0.85 ฿27.08
175.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 NZ$3.89
$0.35 ฿11.24
548.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.43 NZ$12.70
$2.21 ฿70.7
236.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.21 NZ$12.33
$3.76 ฿120
91.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.80 NZ$3.08
$1.72 ฿54.9
4.65%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 NZ$3.62
$1.63 ฿52.2
30.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.36
$1.16 ฿37.04
68.97%
Eggs
$6.68 NZ$11.42
$1.98 ฿63.3
237.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.87 NZ$15.18
$15.93 ฿509
-44.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.59 NZ$16.40
$3.17 ฿101
202.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.77 NZ$21.84
$10.90 ฿349
17.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 NZ$4.84
$2.65 ฿84.6
6.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.27 NZ$3.89
$1.22 ฿39.09
86.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.30 NZ$5.65
$1.70 ฿54.3
94.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.21 NZ$7.20
$1.59 ฿50.8
164.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 NZ$3.53
$1.32 ฿42.33
56.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 NZ$2.92
$1.17 ฿37.36
46.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.88 NZ$3.22
$0.68 ฿21.67
176.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 NZ$2.13
$0.56 ฿17.81
123.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$25.50 NZ$43.61
$4.51 ฿144
465.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.88 NZ$18.60
$19.07 ฿610
-42.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.06 NZ$5.23
$1.77 ฿56.6
72.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 NZ$6.66
$3.18 ฿102
22.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.13 NZ$3.65
$0.96 ฿30.78
121.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.9 NZ$109
$18.90 ฿604
238.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.77 NZ$3.03
$1.36 ฿43.41
30.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.94 NZ$3.31
$1.35 ฿43.23
43.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.83 NZ$61.3
$8.03 ฿257
346.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.62 NZ$2.76
$1.24 ฿39.74
30.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K NZ$48.0K
$21.2K ฿676.6K
32.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K NZ$38.1K
$21.8K ฿695.5K
2.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 NZ$249
$71.2 ฿2,277
104.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.73 NZ$52.6
$14.09 ฿450
118.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.42 NZ$82.8
$17.47 ฿559
177.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.24 NZ$63.7
$42.07 ฿1,345
-11.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.98 NZ$20.48
$6.88 ฿220
74.13%
Cinema Ticket
$14.84 NZ$25.37
$5.94 ฿190
149.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$916 NZ$1,566
$307 ฿9,827
197.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.5K NZ$23.2K
$14.8K ฿473.0K
-8.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 NZ$121
$55.7 ฿1,780
27.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.43 NZ$84.5
$26.79 ฿856
84.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.6 NZ$167
$83.2 ฿2,661
17.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 NZ$215
$70.1 ฿2,241
79.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 NZ$1,675
$427 ฿13.7K
129.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$793 NZ$1,356
$237 ฿7,580
234.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,569 NZ$2,684
$802 ฿25.6K
95.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 NZ$2,406
$503 ฿16.1K
179.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,610 NZ$9,594
$2,061 ฿65.9K
172.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,223 NZ$5,512
$1,533 ฿49.0K
110.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Paihia
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$654 ฿20.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.37
5
27.40%

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

Last update for Paihia: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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