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

🙂 Solo nomad: Polokwane is 12.9% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 5.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Polokwane is 8.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.72 R 173
$2.02 ฿65.3
381.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.89 R 745
$18.78 ฿608
123.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.89 R 86.9
$7.67 ฿248
-36.25%
Cappuccino
$2.25 R 40.08
$1.98 ฿64.2
13.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R 15.2
$0.82 ฿26.64
3.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 R 13.22
$0.33 ฿10.58
124.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 R 29.52
$2.12 ฿68.6
-21.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 R 35.14
$3.73 ฿121
-46.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 R 21
$1.64 ฿53.2
-28.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1 R 17.86
$1.57 ฿50.9
-36.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 R 30.68
$1.19 ฿38.62
45.38%
Eggs
$2.44 R 43.43
$1.98 ฿64.1
23.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.83 R 121
$15.99 ฿517
-57.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.26 R 58
$3.12 ฿101
4.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.56 R 99
$11.16 ฿361
-50.18%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.05
$2.76 ฿89.2
-38.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.21
$1.22 ฿39.5
20.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.62
$1.71 ฿55.4
-9.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.72
$1.55 ฿50.2
3.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.44
$1.34 ฿43.21
11.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R 21.04
$1.21 ฿39.23
-2.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.33
$0.72 ฿23.2
51.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 R 12.92
$0.53 ฿17.05
37.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.73 R 48.59
$4.72 ฿153
-42.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.53 R 80.6
$18.39 ฿595
-75.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 R 19.22
$1.79 ฿57.9
-39.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 R 22.36
$3.21 ฿104
-60.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.18 R 56.5
$0.94 ฿30.44
238.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.9 ฿612
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.86 R 15.24
$1.42 ฿46.08
-39.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 R 16.56
$1.35 ฿43.53
-31.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4 R 71.2
$7.85 ฿254
-49.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.49
$1.25 ฿40.4
-3.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$14.2K R 251.9K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
-33.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K R 404.4K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
4.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 2,097
$70.6 ฿2,285
66.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.52 R 721
$13.72 ฿444
195.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.68 R 670
$17.56 ฿568
114.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.81 R 388
$41.64 ฿1,347
-47.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.9 ฿223
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.35 R 131
$5.8 ฿188
26.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$169 R 3,011
$308 ฿9,963
-45.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,346 R 23.9K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-90.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.11 R 607
$55.4 ฿1,793
-38.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.05 R 588
$26.4 ฿854
25.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.8 R 1,330
$85.1 ฿2,755
-12.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79 R 1,405
$71.8 ฿2,323
10.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$253 R 4,503
$434 ฿14K
-41.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 R 3,126
$235 ฿7,610
-25.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$373 R 6,639
$821 ฿26.6K
-54.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$281 R 5,000
$498 ฿16.1K
-43.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$780 R 13.9K
$2,180 ฿70.6K
-64.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$692 R 12.3K
$1,543 ฿49.9K
-55.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Polokwane
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 26.2K
$703 ฿22.8K
109.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
5
130.20%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 27, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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