Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,992 in Timaru, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Timaru
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Timaru Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Timaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,992

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,992 per month in Timaru vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Timaru $1,992
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Timaru vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Timaru $3,048
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,104 per month in Timaru vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Timaru $4,104
Chiang Mai $1,979

Timaru costs about 113% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Timaru sits 46% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.41 NZ$25.59

$2.24 ฿75.6

543.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 NZ$109

$19.00 ฿641

222.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 NZ$19.29

$5.55 ฿187

95.86%

Cappuccino

$3.29 NZ$5.84

$1.67 ฿56.5

97.01%

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

$2.13 NZ$3.78

$0.64 ฿21.54

232.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.15

$0.31 ฿10.31

474.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 NZ$10.11

$2.36 ฿79.5

141.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$3.66 ฿124

67.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 NZ$2.04

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$1.44 ฿48.46

24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 NZ$1.99

$1.33 ฿45.03

-15.79%

Eggs

$5.98 NZ$10.61

$2.28 ฿77.1

162.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 NZ$14.70

$16.45 ฿555

-49.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 NZ$16.35

$2.78 ฿93.9

231.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 NZ$29.62

$9.31 ฿314

79.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 NZ$5.21

$2.35 ฿79.4

24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 NZ$4.29

$0.97 ฿32.79

149.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$1.60 ฿53.9

98.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 NZ$9.32

$1.50 ฿50.6

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.30

$1.28 ฿43.11

45.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.10 ฿37.18

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 NZ$4.13

$0.71 ฿23.82

226.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 NZ$0.98

$0.49 ฿16.36

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.40

$4.14 ฿140

408.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 NZ$9.90

$17.52 ฿591

-68.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 NZ$5.63

$1.61 ฿54.5

96.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 NZ$2.23

$2.78 ฿93.9

-54.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

$0.87 ฿29.30

122.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 NZ$196

$54.1 ฿1,825

103.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.16 ฿39.04

92.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NZ$3.17

$0.53 ฿17.80

237.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.93 NZ$51.4

$2.42 ฿81.7

1095.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 NZ$2.76

$1.45 ฿48.88

7.59%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

35.24%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.7K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-14.83%

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

$113 NZ$201

$62.2 ฿2,098

81.97%

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

$22.85 NZ$40.58

$12.17 ฿411

87.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NZ$93.2

$20.12 ฿679

160.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.92 NZ$70.9

$37.31 ฿1,259

7.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 NZ$20.22

$6.49 ฿219

75.50%

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

$590 NZ$1,047

$736 ฿24.8K

-19.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K NZ$28.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

8.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 NZ$106

$53.4 ฿1,801

11.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.10 NZ$62.3

$24.64 ฿831

42.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NZ$162

$91.5 ฿3,087

-0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 NZ$244

$71.9 ฿2,427

90.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 NZ$1,968

$482 ฿16.3K

129.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 NZ$1,635

$309 ฿10.4K

198.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,790 NZ$3,179

$1,006 ฿33.9K

77.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 NZ$2,972

$633 ฿21.4K

164.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,547 NZ$8,073

$2,363 ฿79.7K

92.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 NZ$5,088

$1,589 ฿53.6K

80.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.57

26.93%

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

Last update for Timaru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timaru

$921 46.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 66.5% $612

Groceries & Markets

Timaru

$302 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 22.3% $67

Eating Out

Timaru

$244 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.2% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timaru

$188 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 49.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Timaru

$145 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.2% $37

Getting Around

Timaru

$129 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 52.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Timaru

$63 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,108 in Timaru versus $482 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 $61 in Timaru versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Timaru

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

6 h behind Timaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,600

127,240

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Timaru Chiang Mai 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Timaru
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

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

Timaru costs about 113% 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 $2,987 per month in Timaru 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,108 in Timaru.

Kindergarten costs $590 per month in Timaru and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Timaru, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,992 in Timaru and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,992 in Timaru. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.