Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,094 in Upington, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in Upington vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Upington $1,094
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,708 per month in Upington vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Upington $1,708
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,321 per month in Upington vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Upington $2,321
Chiang Mai $1,999

Upington costs about 17% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Upington and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Upington 19% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 R 193

$2.13 ฿71.2

454.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.69 R 601

$18.62 ฿622

97.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 R 94.9

$5.60 ฿187

3.39%

Cappuccino

$1.68 R 27.59

$1.66 ฿55.5

1.20%

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

$1.03 R 16.96

$0.65 ฿21.59

58.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R 11.52

$0.30 ฿10.18

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 R 28.31

$2.32 ฿77.5

-25.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.08

$3.67 ฿122

-25.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R 15.29

$2.02 ฿67.3

-53.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 R 19.14

$1.41 ฿47.00

-17.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.39 ฿46.46

19.42%

Eggs

$2.73 R 44.80

$2.37 ฿79.0

15.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.17 R 134

$16.52 ฿551

-50.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.55 R 74.5

$2.67 ฿89.1

70.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 R 136

$9.02 ฿301

-7.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.59

$2.40 ฿80.1

-30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.48

$1.04 ฿34.76

73.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 R 32.92

$1.66 ฿55.4

21.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.32

$1.56 ฿52.0

3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.04

$1.24 ฿41.31

23.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R 20.65

$1.09 ฿36.27

15.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.31

$0.76 ฿25.43

71.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.88

$0.51 ฿17.16

113.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R 44.07

$4.12 ฿138

-34.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.81 R 62.4

$17.93 ฿598

-78.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.00

$1.62 ฿54.2

-17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.63

$2.82 ฿94.2

-35.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R 26.39

$0.93 ฿31.19

73.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 R 13.85

$1.18 ฿39.28

-27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R 13.63

$0.17 ฿5.72

388.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.98 R 196

$1.81 ฿60.5

561.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.84

$1.47 ฿49.16

3.40%

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

$39.7K R 649.6K

$21.0K ฿701.4K

88.71%

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

$32.1K R 526.4K

$26.5K ฿885.1K

21.16%

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

$146 R 2,393

$62.6 ฿2,088

133.50%

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

$30.89 R 506

$11.60 ฿387

166.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.70 R 601

$20.30 ฿678

80.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.48 R 532

$37.88 ฿1,264

-14.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 R 186

$3.70 ฿123

207.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 R 109

$6.51 ฿217

2.15%

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

$102 R 1,667

$727 ฿24.3K

-86.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,021 R 98.6K

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-63.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 R 843

$53.5 ฿1,787

-3.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.50 R 533

$24.80 ฿828

31.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 R 1,474

$90.4 ฿3,017

-0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 R 1,467

$72.0 ฿2,402

24.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,515

$481 ฿16.1K

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 5,938

$310 ฿10.3K

16.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 R 9,796

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-43.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.2K

$659 ฿22.0K

12.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$729 R 11.9K

$2,418 ฿80.7K

-69.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 R 10.4K

$1,609 ฿53.7K

-60.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$780 R 12.8K

$595 ฿19.9K

31.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

5.57

104.31%

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

Last update for Upington: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Upington

$362 33.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 14.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$214 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.8% $119

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$189 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 25% $47

Eating Out

Upington

$153 14%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 50% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$119 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 8.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$46 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 11.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Upington

$11 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 412% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $398 in Upington 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.

Salaries run about 31% higher in Upington. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Upington versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Upington vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Upington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

03:51 3:51 AM

5 h ahead of Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

127,240

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Upington Chiang Mai 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Upington
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

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

Upington costs about 17% 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 $1,641 per month in Upington 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 Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $398 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Upington 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 20% cheaper in Upington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,094 in Upington 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 $1,094 in Upington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Upington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.