Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wairoa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,974 in Wairoa, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Wairoa
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Wairoa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Wairoa

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,974

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,974 per month in Wairoa vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wairoa $1,974
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,023 per month in Wairoa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wairoa $3,023
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,072 per month in Wairoa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wairoa $4,072
Chiang Mai $1,979

Wairoa costs about 111% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wairoa sits 45% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.18 NZ$26.94

$2.24 ฿75.6

577.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 NZ$131

$19.00 ฿641

288.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 NZ$15.74

$5.55 ฿187

59.64%

Cappuccino

$3.53 NZ$6.26

$1.67 ฿56.5

111.38%

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

$2.31 NZ$4.11

$0.64 ฿21.54

260.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 NZ$3.18

$0.31 ฿10.31

477.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 NZ$11.27

$2.36 ฿79.5

169.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 NZ$10.04

$3.66 ฿124

54.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 NZ$2.86

$1.95 ฿65.7

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.44 ฿48.46

29.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.33 ฿45.03

25.56%

Eggs

$4.99 NZ$8.86

$2.28 ฿77.1

118.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 NZ$13.09

$16.45 ฿555

-55.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 NZ$16.60

$2.78 ฿93.9

236.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.53 NZ$29.34

$9.31 ฿314

77.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.87

$2.35 ฿79.4

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 NZ$4.38

$0.97 ฿32.79

154.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 NZ$6.06

$1.60 ฿53.9

113.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 NZ$10.13

$1.50 ฿50.6

280.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$1.28 ฿43.11

73.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.10 ฿37.18

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 NZ$4.06

$0.71 ฿23.82

222.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 NZ$2.08

$0.49 ฿16.36

138.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.98 NZ$37.24

$4.14 ฿140

406.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 NZ$14.09

$17.52 ฿591

-54.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 NZ$5.68

$1.61 ฿54.5

98.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 NZ$6.18

$2.78 ฿93.9

25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 NZ$3.39

$0.87 ฿29.30

119.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 NZ$187

$54.1 ฿1,825

94.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 NZ$3.89

$1.16 ฿39.04

88.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$0.53 ฿17.80

216.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.49 NZ$55.9

$2.42 ฿81.7

1201.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 NZ$3.49

$1.45 ฿48.88

35.17%

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

$26.3K NZ$46.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

24.66%

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

$22.6K NZ$40.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-16.26%

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

$120 NZ$213

$62.2 ฿2,098

93.10%

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

$27.16 NZ$48.22

$12.17 ฿411

123.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.53 NZ$84.4

$20.12 ฿679

136.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 NZ$73.2

$37.31 ฿1,259

10.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.86 NZ$21.05

$6.49 ฿219

82.74%

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

$587 NZ$1,041

$736 ฿24.8K

-20.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K NZ$26.3K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

0.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 NZ$97.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

2.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.11 NZ$60.6

$24.64 ฿831

38.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 NZ$188

$91.5 ฿3,087

15.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$71.9 ฿2,427

54.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 NZ$1,863

$482 ฿16.3K

117.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 NZ$1,565

$309 ฿10.4K

185.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,758 NZ$3,121

$1,006 ฿33.9K

74.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,545 NZ$2,742

$633 ฿21.4K

143.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,480 NZ$9,730

$2,363 ฿79.7K

131.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,226 NZ$5,728

$1,589 ฿53.6K

103.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.83

5.57

4.67%

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

Last update for Wairoa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wairoa

$882 44.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 65% $573

Groceries & Markets

Wairoa

$322 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.2% $88

Eating Out

Wairoa

$250 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.9% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wairoa

$195 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 51.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Wairoa

$138 7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21% $29

Getting Around

Wairoa

$123 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Wairoa

$65 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,049 in Wairoa 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 $74 in Wairoa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Wairoa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

07:55 7:55 AM

6 h behind Wairoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,300

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 2, 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 2, 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

Wairoa Chiang Mai 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Wairoa
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

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

Wairoa costs about 111% 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 $2,961 per month in Wairoa 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 $1,049 in Wairoa.

Kindergarten costs $587 per month in Wairoa 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 37% more in Wairoa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,974 in Wairoa 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 $1,974 in Wairoa. 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.