🇹🇷 Turkey
59
Cost of Living Index in Turkey
Learn more Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Chiang Mai
For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,182 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 20.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 30.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 27.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 35.3% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.64 R 176
$2.13 ฿71.4
399.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.40 R 683
$19.40 ฿649
113.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.60 R 92.4
$5.47 ฿183
2.38%
Cappuccino
$2.28 R 37.63
$1.68 ฿56.4
35.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R 19.17
$0.66 ฿22.10
75.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 R 15.22
$0.34 ฿11.52
170.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 R 40.40
$2.42 ฿81.0
1.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 R 48.69
$3.73 ฿125
-20.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R 19.63
$2.06 ฿68.9
-42.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 R 18.42
$1.46 ฿48.78
-23.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.79 R 29.58
$1.35 ฿45.09
32.59%
Eggs
$2.48 R 40.88
$2.27 ฿76.0
9.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.08 R 133
$16.31 ฿546
-50.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.13 R 84.7
$2.70 ฿90.3
90.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.81 R 129
$9.20 ฿308
-15.11%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 R 30.78
$2.39 ฿80.1
-21.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.42
$1.04 ฿34.66
59.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.15
$1.60 ฿53.7
10.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 R 29.67
$1.44 ฿48.37
25.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.53
$1.30 ฿43.59
14.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.71
$1.11 ฿37.29
35.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 R 21.16
$0.70 ฿23.55
82.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 R 17.97
$0.51 ฿16.99
113.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.22 R 53.2
$4.13 ฿138
-22.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.93 R 81.3
$17.78 ฿595
-72.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 R 24.47
$1.63 ฿54.7
-9.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 R 33.09
$2.87 ฿96.0
-29.97%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.60 R 26.39
$0.86 ฿28.76
86.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.7 R 1,001
$53.2 ฿1,780
14.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.98
$1.22 ฿40.81
-10.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 R 16.23
$0.56 ฿18.81
75.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.42 R 122
$2.31 ฿77.5
221.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 R 24.63
$1.50 ฿50.2
-0.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.0K R 578.2K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
68.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.6K R 521.1K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
18.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$131 R 2,168
$61.3 ฿2,051
114.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.71 R 573
$12.50 ฿419
177.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.94 R 659
$20.36 ฿682
96.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.88 R 559
$37.94 ฿1,270
-10.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.39 R 188
$3.77 ฿126
202.12%
Cinema Ticket
$7.31 R 121
$6.60 ฿221
10.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$225 R 3,715
$774 ฿25.9K
-70.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,485 R 90.5K
$14.4K ฿483.2K
-62.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.0 R 858
$54.8 ฿1,835
-5.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.30 R 549
$25.26 ฿846
31.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.4 R 1,640
$90.6 ฿3,032
9.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.4 R 1,441
$73.3 ฿2,453
19.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$480 R 7,918
$459 ฿15.4K
4.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$406 R 6,692
$294 ฿9,835
38.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$935 R 15.4K
$919 ฿30.8K
1.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$796 R 13.1K
$552 ฿18.5K
44.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,111 R 18.3K
$1,917 ฿64.2K
-42.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$777 R 12.8K
$1,445 ฿48.4K
-46.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.4K
$592 ฿19.8K
149.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.23
5.57
101.62%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for South Africa: October 3, 2026
Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
South Africa $406 33.6%
Chiang Mai $294 31.8% 27.6% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa $206 17.1%
Chiang Mai $94 10.2% 54.3% $112
Groceries & Markets
South Africa $196 16.2%
Chiang Mai $236 25.6% 20.6% $40
Eating Out
South Africa $156 12.9%
Chiang Mai $77 8.4% 50.4% $79
Clothing & Footwear
South Africa $122 10.1%
Chiang Mai $110 11.9% 10.3% $13
Getting Around
South Africa $73 6.1%
Chiang Mai $61 6.6% 17.1% $12
Sport & Entertainment
South Africa $49 4%
Chiang Mai $51 5.5% 5.4% $2.6
Accommodation & Living
South Africa $796 31.3%
Chiang Mai $552 29% 30.7% $245
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa $241 9.5%
Chiang Mai $107 5.6% 55.7% $134
Groceries & Markets
South Africa $453 17.8%
Chiang Mai $529 27.8% 16.8% $76
Eating Out
South Africa $525 20.6%
Chiang Mai $243 12.8% 53.6% $282
Clothing & Footwear
South Africa $272 10.7%
Chiang Mai $244 12.8% 10.4% $28
Getting Around
South Africa $149 5.9%
Chiang Mai $123 6.5% 17.7% $26
Sport & Entertainment
South Africa $108 4.3%
Chiang Mai $106 5.6% 2.2% $2.4
Good to know
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
Weather
Population
62,027,503
127,240
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- South Africa Chiang Mai 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
- South Africa
- 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
South Africa vs other spots: cost of living compared
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