Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Palmerston North is 64.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 97.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Palmerston North is 84.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 104.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.61 NZ$27.91

$2.03 ฿63.8

718.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 NZ$123

$18.59 ฿585

295.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.90 NZ$19.99

$7.48 ฿235

59.09%

Cappuccino

$3.39 NZ$5.69

$2.00 ฿62.8

69.50%

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

$2.29 NZ$3.85

$0.85 ฿26.63

169.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 NZ$3.58

$0.35 ฿11.05

508.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 NZ$11.96

$2.21 ฿69.5

222.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.34 NZ$10.66

$3.76 ฿118

68.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 NZ$3.31

$1.72 ฿54.0

14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NZ$3.46

$1.63 ฿51.4

26.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 NZ$2.93

$1.16 ฿36.42

50.00%

Eggs

$5.28 NZ$8.86

$1.98 ฿62.2

166.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 NZ$14.05

$15.93 ฿501

-47.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.94 NZ$15.01

$3.17 ฿99.6

182.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 NZ$20.97

$10.90 ฿343

14.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 NZ$4.17

$2.65 ฿83.2

-6.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 NZ$3.03

$1.22 ฿38.45

47.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 NZ$4.07

$1.70 ฿53.4

42.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 NZ$5.60

$1.59 ฿49.99

110.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.49

$1.32 ฿41.63

57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.66

$1.17 ฿36.74

86.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 NZ$3.44

$0.68 ฿21.31

201.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 NZ$1.55

$0.56 ฿17.52

64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.08 NZ$33.73

$4.51 ฿142

345.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 NZ$15.16

$19.07 ฿600

-52.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 NZ$4.10

$1.77 ฿55.7

37.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 NZ$8.74

$3.18 ฿100.0

63.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 NZ$8.01

$0.96 ฿30.27

396.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.65 NZ$49.81

$18.90 ฿594

56.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 NZ$4.11

$1.36 ฿42.69

80.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.01

$1.35 ฿42.51

32.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.01 NZ$28.58

$8.03 ฿253

111.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 NZ$2.86

$1.24 ฿39.08

37.10%

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

$18.5K NZ$31.0K

$21.2K ฿665.4K

-12.79%

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

$21.6K NZ$36.3K

$21.8K ฿684.0K

-0.61%

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

$88.8 NZ$149

$71.2 ฿2,240

24.61%

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

$37.31 NZ$62.7

$14.09 ฿443

164.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.09 NZ$80.8

$17.47 ฿549

175.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.00 NZ$58.8

$42.07 ฿1,323

-16.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.25 NZ$22.26

$6.88 ฿216

92.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 NZ$15.45

$5.94 ฿187

54.88%

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

$1,022 NZ$1,717

$307 ฿9,664

232.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,103 NZ$10.3K

$14.8K ฿465.1K

-58.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 NZ$97.5

$55.7 ฿1,750

4.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.06 NZ$64.0

$26.79 ฿842

42.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 NZ$153

$83.2 ฿2,617

9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 NZ$154

$70.1 ฿2,204

30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 NZ$1,425

$427 ฿13.4K

98.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 NZ$1,178

$237 ฿7,454

195.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,562 NZ$2,624

$802 ฿25.2K

94.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 NZ$2,348

$503 ฿15.8K

177.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,171 NZ$3,647

$2,061 ฿64.8K

5.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,938 NZ$3,256

$1,533 ฿48.2K

26.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,623 NZ$4,407

$654 ฿20.6K

301.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

33.80%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: February 28, 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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