Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shurugwi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
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Shurugwi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$579

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $579 per month in Shurugwi vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shurugwi $579
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $949 per month in Shurugwi vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shurugwi $949
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,320 per month in Shurugwi vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Shurugwi $1,320
Chiang Mai $1,914

Shurugwi is about 38% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Shurugwi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Shurugwi 57% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 ZWL 269

$2.26 ฿75.4

347.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.64 ZWL 1,055

$19.18 ฿641

106.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 ZWL 154

$5.59 ฿187

3.76%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ZWL 45.06

$1.72 ฿57.6

-1.74%

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

$0.97 ZWL 25.82

$0.64 ฿21.54

51.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ZWL 12.79

$0.33 ฿11.18

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.28 ZWL 33.94

$2.36 ฿78.7

-45.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ZWL 54.7

$3.90 ฿130

-47.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ZWL 39.43

$2.05 ฿68.6

-27.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ZWL 26.00

$1.40 ฿46.70

-30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 ZWL 44.40

$1.28 ฿42.89

30.47%

Eggs

$1.94 ZWL 51.7

$2.25 ฿75.3

-13.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 ZWL 307

$16.94 ฿566

-32.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 ZWL 141

$2.74 ฿91.6

93.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.34 ZWL 169

$9.36 ฿313

-32.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 ZWL 81.8

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ZWL 44.01

$1.01 ฿33.92

63.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ZWL 53.4

$1.61 ฿53.9

24.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ZWL 40.30

$1.52 ฿50.7

-0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ZWL 44.46

$1.28 ฿42.90

30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 ZWL 47.97

$1.11 ฿37.22

62.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ZWL 32.55

$0.72 ฿24.09

69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ZWL 26.31

$0.52 ฿17.54

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ZWL 51.8

$4.33 ฿145

-54.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 ZWL 218

$17.73 ฿593

-53.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 ZWL 36.77

$1.63 ฿54.4

-15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ZWL 52.4

$2.85 ฿95.3

-30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 ZWL 105

$1.17 ฿39.18

236.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ZWL 52.5

$0.57 ฿19.00

245.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 ZWL 134

$2.37 ฿79.2

112.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ZWL 48.95

$1.45 ฿48.32

26.90%

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

$22.1K ZWL 587.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

7.86%

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

$27.8K ZWL 738.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

4.70%

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

$52.0 ZWL 1,383

$62.3 ฿2,083

-16.61%

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

$21.89 ZWL 582

$12.27 ฿410

78.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 ZWL 1,818

$19.97 ฿668

242.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 ZWL 265

$6.71 ฿224

48.58%

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

$429 ZWL 11.4K

$797 ฿26.6K

-46.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,436 ZWL 224.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-43.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.20 ZWL 617

$53.3 ฿1,780

-56.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.19 ZWL 564

$25.05 ฿837

-15.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.89 ZWL 1,035

$91.6 ฿3,062

-57.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.82 ZWL 1,060

$73.5 ฿2,455

-45.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.69

5.57

145.78%

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

Last update for Shurugwi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shurugwi

$213 36.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 11.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shurugwi

$142 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 33.5% $48

Eating Out

Shurugwi

$135 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 41.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Shurugwi

$55 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 97.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 158% $31

Getting Around

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 344% $48

Accommodation & Living

Shurugwi

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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 $40.00 in Shurugwi versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $213 in Shurugwi vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Shurugwi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

10:37 10:37 AM

5 h ahead of Shurugwi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,866

127,240

💱 Currency

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZWL = 3.76 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇼 Zimbabwean Dollar ($)

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZWL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Shurugwi Chiang Mai 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shurugwi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Shurugwi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $868 per month in Shurugwi and $1,408 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 $40.00 in Shurugwi and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shurugwi, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Shurugwi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Shurugwi costs $579 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Shurugwi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.