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

😐 Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 2.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 20.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 21.5% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 14.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8 R 142
$2.02 ฿65.3
296.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.14 R 767
$18.78 ฿608
129.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.62 R 100
$7.67 ฿248
-26.73%
Cappuccino
$2.2 R 39.19
$1.98 ฿64.2
11.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R 15.49
$0.82 ฿26.64
6.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 R 12.33
$0.33 ฿10.58
109.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 R 30.08
$2.12 ฿68.6
-20.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 R 42.04
$3.73 ฿121
-36.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 R 18.4
$1.64 ฿53.2
-37.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 R 15.24
$1.57 ฿50.9
-45.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 R 27.01
$1.19 ฿38.62
27.73%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.95
$1.98 ฿64.1
13.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.19 R 128
$15.99 ฿517
-55.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.83 R 85.9
$3.12 ฿101
54.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.1 R 126
$11.16 ฿361
-36.38%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.16
$2.76 ฿89.2
-42.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 R 31.5
$1.22 ฿39.5
45.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.01 R 35.73
$1.71 ฿55.4
17.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.74 R 30.87
$1.55 ฿50.2
12.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.17
$1.34 ฿43.21
14.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 R 32.79
$1.21 ฿39.23
52.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 R 22.07
$0.72 ฿23.2
72.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 17.37
$0.53 ฿17.05
84.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.85 R 50.6
$4.72 ฿153
-39.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.31 R 58.9
$18.39 ฿595
-82.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 R 25.76
$1.79 ฿57.9
-18.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.7 R 30.2
$3.21 ฿104
-47.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 R 47.54
$0.94 ฿30.44
184.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.3 R 326
$18.9 ฿612
-3.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.63 R 29.01
$1.42 ฿46.08
14.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 R 9.27
$1.35 ฿43.53
-61.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.91 R 69.6
$7.85 ฿254
-50.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 R 22.13
$1.25 ฿40.4
-0.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K R 416.2K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
10.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K R 407.7K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
4.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 R 4,094
$70.6 ฿2,285
225.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.34 R 540
$13.72 ฿444
121.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.9 R 1,012
$17.56 ฿568
223.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.89 R 674
$41.64 ฿1,347
-9.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.9 ฿223
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 R 91
$5.8 ฿188
-11.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$150 R 2,666
$308 ฿9,963
-51.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,782 R 85K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-67.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 R 1,097
$55.4 ฿1,793
11.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.2 R 679
$26.4 ฿854
44.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$181 R 3,222
$85.1 ฿2,755
112.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.1 R 1,354
$71.8 ฿2,323
6.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 R 3,716
$434 ฿14K
-51.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$190 R 3,376
$235 ฿7,610
-19.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$513 R 9,129
$821 ฿26.6K
-37.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$386 R 6,863
$498 ฿16.1K
-22.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$719 R 12.8K
$2,180 ฿70.6K
-67.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$416 R 7,405
$1,543 ฿49.9K
-73.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$862 R 15.3K
$703 ฿22.8K
22.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
5
130.00%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 29, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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