Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottburgh and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,105 in Scottburgh, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Scottburgh
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Scottburgh Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Scottburgh

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,105 per month in Scottburgh vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Scottburgh $1,105
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,736 per month in Scottburgh vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Scottburgh $1,736
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,368 per month in Scottburgh vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Scottburgh $2,368
Chiang Mai $1,999

Scottburgh costs about 18% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Scottburgh and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Scottburgh 18% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 R 144

$2.13 ฿72.0

306.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.96 R 613

$18.62 ฿628

98.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.09 R 101

$5.60 ฿189

8.75%

Cappuccino

$2.59 R 43.05

$1.66 ฿56.1

56.02%

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

$1.10 R 18.28

$0.65 ฿21.82

69.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.53

$0.30 ฿10.29

173.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 R 38.98

$2.32 ฿78.3

1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 R 38.83

$3.67 ฿124

-36.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R 20.50

$2.02 ฿68.0

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.91

$1.41 ฿47.49

-31.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.70

$1.39 ฿46.94

7.19%

Eggs

$2.29 R 37.98

$2.37 ฿79.9

-3.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 R 133

$16.52 ฿557

-51.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 86.5

$2.67 ฿90.1

95.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 R 120

$9.02 ฿304

-19.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 R 32.71

$2.40 ฿80.9

-17.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.92

$1.04 ฿35.12

78.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.24

$1.66 ฿56.0

16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.61

$1.56 ฿52.6

2.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.03

$1.24 ฿41.75

21.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.69

$1.09 ฿36.65

25.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R 19.20

$0.76 ฿25.70

52.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.62

$0.51 ฿17.34

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 R 58.7

$4.12 ฿139

-14.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.8

$17.93 ฿605

-72.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.84

$1.62 ฿54.8

-7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 R 33.51

$2.82 ฿95.2

-28.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 R 31.26

$0.93 ฿31.52

102.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.24

$1.18 ฿39.69

-62.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.73

$0.17 ฿5.78

317.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 R 128

$1.81 ฿61.1

327.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.85

$1.47 ฿49.67

2.04%

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

$35.9K R 596.4K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

71.09%

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

$34.1K R 565.6K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

28.58%

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

$149 R 2,473

$62.6 ฿2,110

138.27%

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

$38.28 R 635

$11.60 ฿391

230.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.10 R 649

$20.30 ฿685

92.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.86 R 512

$37.88 ฿1,278

-18.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 R 220

$3.70 ฿125

258.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 R 125

$6.51 ฿220

15.82%

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

$311 R 5,166

$727 ฿24.5K

-57.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,387 R 122.6K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-55.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 R 871

$53.5 ฿1,806

-1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.25 R 452

$24.80 ฿836

9.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 R 1,584

$90.4 ฿3,049

5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 R 1,391

$72.0 ฿2,428

16.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 R 5,996

$481 ฿16.2K

-24.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 R 6,113

$310 ฿10.5K

18.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 R 13.6K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-22.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 R 13.1K

$659 ฿22.2K

20.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$759 R 12.6K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-68.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 R 11.9K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-55.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

5.57

110.05%

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

Last update for Scottburgh: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottburgh

$368 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 15.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottburgh

$226 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.3% $132

Groceries & Markets

Scottburgh

$193 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 22.5% $43

Eating Out

Scottburgh

$143 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 46.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Scottburgh

$117 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 7.1% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Scottburgh

$46 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 10.8% $5

Getting Around

Scottburgh

$12 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 410% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Scottburgh versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Scottburgh versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Scottburgh vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Scottburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Scottburgh

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

5 h ahead of Scottburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,949

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scottburgh Chiang Mai 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Scottburgh
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

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

Scottburgh costs about 18% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,657 per month in Scottburgh and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scottburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $361 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Scottburgh and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Scottburgh – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,105 in Scottburgh and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,105 in Scottburgh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.