Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pilikwe and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilikwe: $570 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Pilikwe
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Pilikwe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pilikwe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$570

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $570 per month in Pilikwe vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pilikwe $570
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $919 per month in Pilikwe vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pilikwe $919
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,268 per month in Pilikwe vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pilikwe $1,268
Chiang Mai $1,979

Pilikwe is about 39% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pilikwe and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Pilikwe 58% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 P 148

$2.24 ฿75.7

391.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.41 P 397

$19.00 ฿642

54.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 P 77.9

$5.55 ฿188

3.96%

Cappuccino

$2.39 P 32.20

$1.67 ฿56.6

43.11%

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

$0.71 P 9.53

$0.64 ฿21.56

10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 P 5.90

$0.31 ฿10.32

41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 P 26.28

$2.36 ฿79.6

-17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 P 33.90

$3.66 ฿124

-31.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 P 19.82

$1.95 ฿65.8

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 P 12.16

$1.44 ฿48.51

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 P 24.90

$1.33 ฿45.07

39.10%

Eggs

$2.53 P 34.10

$2.28 ฿77.1

10.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 P 87.2

$16.45 ฿556

-60.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 P 60.7

$2.78 ฿94.0

61.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.01 P 67.5

$9.31 ฿314

-46.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 P 22.16

$2.35 ฿79.5

-30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 P 19.72

$0.97 ฿32.82

50.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 P 27.92

$1.60 ฿53.9

29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 P 21.68

$1.50 ฿50.7

7.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 P 17.36

$1.28 ฿43.15

0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 P 16.24

$1.10 ฿37.22

9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 P 17.47

$0.71 ฿23.84

83.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 P 12.34

$0.49 ฿16.38

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 P 49.98

$4.14 ฿140

-10.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.43 P 59.8

$17.52 ฿592

-74.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 P 19.36

$1.61 ฿54.5

-10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 P 23.41

$2.78 ฿94.0

-37.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 P 8.22

$1.16 ฿39.08

-47.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 P 33.87

$0.53 ฿17.82

373.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 P 40.03

$2.42 ฿81.8

22.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 P 17.82

$1.45 ฿48.93

-8.97%

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

$30.5K P 411.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

44.72%

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

$20.5K P 276.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-24.03%

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

$59.5 P 802

$62.2 ฿2,100

-4.38%

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

$18.59 P 251

$12.17 ฿411

52.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.94 P 593

$20.12 ฿680

118.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 P 83.3

$6.49 ฿219

-4.93%

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

$127 P 1,707

$736 ฿24.9K

-82.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,553 P 34.4K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-82.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.29 P 638

$53.4 ฿1,802

-11.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 P 226

$24.64 ฿832

-32.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 P 960

$91.5 ฿3,089

-22.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 P 1,058

$71.9 ฿2,429

9.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.33

5.57

103.41%

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

Last update for Pilikwe: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Pilikwe

$173 30.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.2% $61

Eating Out

Pilikwe

$153 26.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 49.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pilikwe

$122 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 22.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Pilikwe

$96 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 13% $13

Getting Around

Pilikwe

$13 * 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 366% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Pilikwe

$12 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 307% $38

Accommodation & Living

Pilikwe

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Pilikwe versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $173 in Pilikwe vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Pilikwe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇼 Pilikwe

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

5 h ahead of Pilikwe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,375

127,240

💱 Currency

Botswana Pula BWP P

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BWP – Botswana Pula Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BWP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pilikwe Chiang Mai 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Pilikwe
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

Pilikwe vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 64% more than Pilikwe, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $855 per month in Pilikwe and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Pilikwe and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $570 in Pilikwe and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $570 in Pilikwe to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.