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

😐 Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 20.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 18.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 33.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 19.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.96 R 130
$2.01 ฿64.4
296.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.18 R 704
$18.23 ฿583
136.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.51 R 89.8
$7.65 ฿244
-27.97%
Cappuccino
$2.12 R 34.57
$1.92 ฿61.3
10.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R 14.16
$0.84 ฿26.90
3.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 R 11.29
$0.36 ฿11.39
91.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 R 26.61
$2.19 ฿70.0
-25.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 R 39.49
$3.79 ฿121
-36.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R 17.46
$1.64 ฿52.4
-34.76%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 R 13.07
$1.62 ฿51.8
-50.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.48
$1.15 ฿36.88
30.43%
Eggs
$2.25 R 36.69
$1.94 ฿62.0
15.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.04 R 115
$15.94 ฿510
-55.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.69 R 76.4
$3.10 ฿99.2
51.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.02 R 114
$11.07 ฿354
-36.59%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.14
$2.71 ฿86.5
-38.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 R 28.75
$1.18 ฿37.69
49.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.00 R 32.67
$1.71 ฿54.5
16.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 R 27.16
$1.61 ฿51.3
3.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.06
$1.39 ฿44.53
6.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 R 28.98
$1.15 ฿36.70
54.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 R 20.92
$0.71 ฿22.76
80.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$0.55 ฿17.60
74.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.90 R 47.29
$4.57 ฿146
-36.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.61 R 58.9
$18.87 ฿603
-80.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 R 23.62
$1.82 ฿58.2
-20.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 R 28.94
$3.21 ฿103
-44.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.70 R 44.03
$0.88 ฿28.16
206.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.09 R 295
$18.89 ฿604
-4.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.64 R 26.71
$1.41 ฿45.17
16.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 R 8.59
$1.30 ฿41.59
-59.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.97 R 64.7
$8.20 ฿262
-51.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 R 20.29
$1.23 ฿39.18
0.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0K R 391.2K
$21.2K ฿677.0K
13.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K R 368.0K
$22.3K ฿713.3K
1.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 R 3,857
$69.9 ฿2,234
238.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.12 R 491
$14.07 ฿450
114.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.2 R 948
$17.70 ฿566
228.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.31 R 624
$41.41 ฿1,324
-7.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.69 ฿214
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 R 82.8
$5.74 ฿184
-11.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$149 R 2,427
$299 ฿9,566
-50.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,742 R 77.3K
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-68.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.1 R 996
$54.8 ฿1,753
11.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.43 R 626
$26.35 ฿842
45.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$181 R 2,947
$84.7 ฿2,706
113.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 R 1,197
$69.7 ฿2,229
5.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$208 R 3,398
$427 ฿13.6K
-51.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$185 R 3,018
$241 ฿7,697
-23.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$518 R 8,449
$811 ฿25.9K
-36.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 R 6,212
$498 ฿15.9K
-23.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$756 R 12.3K
$2,022 ฿64.7K
-62.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$445 R 7,247
$1,524 ฿48.7K
-70.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$884 R 14.4K
$639 ฿20.4K
38.31%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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