Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Shepstone and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,058 in Port Shepstone, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Port Shepstone outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
Learn more

Port Shepstone Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Port Shepstone vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Shepstone $1,058
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,592 per month in Port Shepstone vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Shepstone $1,592
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,126 per month in Port Shepstone vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Shepstone $2,126
Chiang Mai $1,903

Port Shepstone costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Port Shepstone and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Port Shepstone 22% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.68 R 127

$2.29 ฿76.5

235.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.93 R 641

$19.64 ฿656

98.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 R 99.8

$5.61 ฿188

8.02%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R 44.89

$1.66 ฿55.6

63.86%

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

$1.11 R 18.28

$0.70 ฿23.40

58.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 13.98

$0.31 ฿10.24

174.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.54

$2.41 ฿80.4

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 R 42.96

$3.71 ฿124

-29.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 R 14.70

$1.95 ฿65.3

-54.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 R 11.74

$1.41 ฿47.03

-49.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.80

$1.31 ฿43.62

-8.40%

Eggs

$1.50 R 24.68

$2.18 ฿72.9

-31.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 R 118

$16.65 ฿556

-57.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 R 59.8

$2.76 ฿92.2

31.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.22 R 119

$9.11 ฿304

-20.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.63

$2.39 ฿80.0

-50.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 R 11.85

$1.03 ฿34.26

-30.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 R 10.27

$1.63 ฿54.4

-61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.49

$1.50 ฿50.0

3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 R 9.83

$1.29 ฿43.13

-53.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.11

$1.11 ฿37.03

31.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R 15.18

$0.72 ฿24.08

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.64

$0.53 ฿17.59

11.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 61.5

$4.31 ฿144

-13.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.0

$17.95 ฿600

-73.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.39

$1.58 ฿52.9

-6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.05

$2.84 ฿95.0

-31.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 R 28.37

$0.86 ฿28.86

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$1.21 ฿40.29

-66.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.42

$0.57 ฿18.99

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 R 129

$2.35 ฿78.6

233.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.86

$1.44 ฿47.96

-7.64%

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

$34.9K R 575.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

68.35%

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

$33.1K R 544.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

23.41%

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

$123 R 2,025

$62.3 ฿2,083

97.22%

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

$18.38 R 303

$12.11 ฿405

51.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.21 R 613

$19.94 ฿666

86.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 R 526

$37.07 ฿1,239

-13.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.48 R 156

$3.78 ฿126

150.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 124

$6.50 ฿217

15.38%

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

$314 R 5,180

$793 ฿26.5K

-60.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,567 R 124.7K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-48.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 R 889

$53.7 ฿1,796

0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 R 499

$24.62 ฿823

23.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,653

$90.9 ฿3,036

10.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$71.1 ฿2,378

18.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,013

$455 ฿15.2K

-6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,887

$298 ฿9,954

40.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 R 10.5K

$908 ฿30.4K

-30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 R 12.0K

$554 ฿18.5K

31.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$927 R 15.3K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-51.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$775 R 12.8K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-46.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,033 R 50.0K

$591 ฿19.7K

413.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

5.57

111.49%

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

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Shepstone

$418 39.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 28.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Shepstone

$179 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 47.1% $84

Groceries & Markets

Port Shepstone

$145 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 62.7% $91

Eating Out

Port Shepstone

$138 13%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 42.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Port Shepstone

$121 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 10.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Port Shepstone

$47 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.7% $3.2

Getting Around

Port Shepstone

$11 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 449% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Port Shepstone versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 413% higher in Port Shepstone, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Port Shepstone versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $145 in Port Shepstone vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Port Shepstone wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

5 h ahead of Port Shepstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,793

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Shepstone Chiang Mai 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Shepstone
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

Port Shepstone vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Shepstone costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,587 per month in Port Shepstone and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Port Shepstone and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 63% cheaper in Port Shepstone – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Port Shepstone at $1,058. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Shepstone it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,058 in Port Shepstone. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Shepstone makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.