Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Wellington and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Wellington is 96.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 163.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Wellington is 108% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 167% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.30 NZ$29.40
$2.01 ฿64.4
760.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.1 NZ$141
$18.23 ฿583
355.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.37 NZ$15.94
$7.65 ฿244
22.48%
Cappuccino
$3.78 NZ$6.43
$1.92 ฿61.3
96.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 NZ$4.19
$0.84 ฿26.90
194.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 NZ$3.56
$0.36 ฿11.39
480.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.38 NZ$12.54
$2.19 ฿70.0
236.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.37 NZ$12.52
$3.79 ฿121
94.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 NZ$3.17
$1.64 ฿52.4
13.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.12 NZ$3.60
$1.62 ฿51.8
30.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.96 NZ$3.33
$1.15 ฿36.88
70.43%
Eggs
$7.13 NZ$12.12
$1.94 ฿62.0
267.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.30 NZ$14.10
$15.94 ฿510
-47.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.92 NZ$18.57
$3.10 ฿99.2
252.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.29 NZ$22.59
$11.07 ฿354
20.05%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 NZ$5.35
$2.71 ฿86.5
16.24%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 NZ$3.80
$1.18 ฿37.69
88.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.06 NZ$5.20
$1.71 ฿54.5
78.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.78 NZ$8.13
$1.61 ฿51.3
196.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.08 NZ$3.54
$1.39 ฿44.53
49.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.65 NZ$2.80
$1.15 ฿36.70
43.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 NZ$3.73
$0.71 ฿22.76
209.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 NZ$2.10
$0.55 ฿17.60
123.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.91 NZ$45.74
$4.57 ฿146
488.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.70 NZ$18.19
$18.87 ฿603
-43.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.56 NZ$6.05
$1.82 ฿58.2
95.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 NZ$5.43
$3.21 ฿103
-0.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.77 NZ$4.72
$0.88 ฿28.16
214.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$108 NZ$184
$18.89 ฿604
471.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 NZ$4.49
$1.41 ฿45.17
87.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 NZ$3.12
$1.30 ฿41.59
41.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.4 NZ$103
$8.20 ฿262
636.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 NZ$2.90
$1.23 ฿39.18
39.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.6K NZ$57.1K
$21.2K ฿677.0K
58.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K NZ$42.6K
$22.3K ฿713.3K
12.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$160 NZ$271
$69.9 ฿2,234
128.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.86 NZ$55.9
$14.07 ฿450
133.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.2 NZ$88.7
$17.70 ฿566
194.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.65 NZ$60.6
$41.41 ฿1,324
-13.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.40 NZ$34.67
$6.69 ฿214
204.93%
Cinema Ticket
$12.09 NZ$20.55
$5.74 ฿184
110.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$803 NZ$1,366
$299 ฿9,566
168.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K NZ$22.0K
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-13.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.7 NZ$124
$54.8 ฿1,753
32.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 NZ$90.2
$26.35 ฿842
101.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 NZ$203
$84.7 ฿2,706
40.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 NZ$239
$69.7 ฿2,229
101.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,309 NZ$2,225
$427 ฿13.6K
206.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,099 NZ$1,869
$241 ฿7,697
356.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,168 NZ$3,686
$811 ฿25.9K
167.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,938 NZ$3,294
$498 ฿15.9K
288.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,803 NZ$11.6K
$2,022 ฿64.7K
236.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,961 NZ$6,734
$1,524 ฿48.7K
159.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wellington
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,081 NZ$5,238
$639 ฿20.4K
382.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.94
5
38.80%

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

Last update for Wellington: April 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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