Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Yarra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,436 in South Yarra, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in South Yarra
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South Yarra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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South Yarra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,436

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,436 per month in South Yarra vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

South Yarra $2,436
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,527 per month in South Yarra vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

South Yarra $3,527
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,618 per month in South Yarra vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

South Yarra $4,618
Chiang Mai $1,914

South Yarra costs about 160% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

South Yarra sits 80% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 A$25.39

$2.26 ฿75.4

680.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$19.18 ฿641

340.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.25 A$11.87

$5.59 ฿187

47.58%

Cappuccino

$3.53 A$5.08

$1.72 ฿57.6

105.23%

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

$2.07 A$2.98

$0.64 ฿21.54

223.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 A$2.46

$0.33 ฿11.18

418.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.78 A$14.08

$2.36 ฿78.7

314.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.24 A$11.85

$3.90 ฿130

111.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.22

$2.05 ฿68.6

-24.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 A$3.95

$1.40 ฿46.70

95.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.28 ฿42.89

10.16%

Eggs

$4.24 A$6.10

$2.25 ฿75.3

88.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 A$14.89

$16.94 ฿566

-38.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 A$9.99

$2.74 ฿91.6

153.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.17 A$21.83

$9.36 ฿313

62.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.40 ฿80.3

18.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 A$2.92

$1.01 ฿33.92

100.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.61 ฿53.9

-15.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.03

$1.52 ฿50.7

84.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.28 ฿42.90

10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 A$3.04

$1.11 ฿37.22

90.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.47

$0.72 ฿24.09

234.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.35

$0.52 ฿17.54

215.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.82 A$45.79

$4.33 ฿145

634.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 A$17.69

$17.73 ฿593

-30.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.70 A$8.20

$1.63 ฿54.4

249.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 A$7.56

$2.85 ฿95.3

84.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 A$4.20

$0.85 ฿28.31

243.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.7 A$118

$53.9 ฿1,801

51.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 A$6.43

$1.17 ฿39.18

282.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.05

$0.57 ฿19.00

149.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.47 A$43.85

$2.37 ฿79.2

1185.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$1.45 ฿48.32

-9.66%

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

$28.4K A$40.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

38.89%

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

$26.6K A$38.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

0.19%

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

$232 A$334

$62.3 ฿2,083

272.15%

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

$27.31 A$39.30

$12.27 ฿410

122.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.68 A$60.0

$19.97 ฿668

108.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$37.91 ฿1,267

45.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.96 A$24.40

$3.76 ฿126

351.06%

Cinema Ticket

$13.70 A$19.71

$6.71 ฿224

104.17%

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

$2,417 A$3,478

$797 ฿26.6K

203.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K A$43.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

104.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.4 A$117

$53.3 ฿1,780

52.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 A$73.1

$25.05 ฿837

102.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$168

$91.6 ฿3,062

27.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$73.5 ฿2,455

79.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 A$1,967

$464 ฿15.5K

194.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 A$1,674

$305 ฿10.2K

281.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,109 A$3,035

$915 ฿30.6K

130.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,788 A$2,573

$552 ฿18.5K

223.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,707 A$8,212

$1,912 ฿63.9K

198.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,659 A$8,143

$1,438 ฿48.1K

293.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for South Yarra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Yarra

$1.2K 47.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 73.8% $859

Groceries & Markets

South Yarra

$324 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Yarra

$301 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 68.6% $206

Eating Out

South Yarra

$289 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 72.6% $210

Clothing & Footwear

South Yarra

$172 7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 36.2% $62

Getting Around

South Yarra

$105 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 41.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

South Yarra

$83 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 37.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,367 in South Yarra versus $464 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 $85.0 in South Yarra versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 South Yarra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

4 h behind South Yarra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,147

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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South Yarra Chiang Mai 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Yarra
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 Yarra vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Yarra costs about 160% 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 $3,654 per month in South Yarra and $1,408 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.

Kindergarten costs $2,417 per month in South Yarra and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in South Yarra, 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 Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in South Yarra at $2,436. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in South Yarra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,436 in South Yarra. 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, South Yarra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.