Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,467 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,467 per month in Wollongong vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wollongong $2,467
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,619 per month in Wollongong vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wollongong $3,619
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,772 per month in Wollongong vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wollongong $4,772
Chiang Mai $1,979

Wollongong costs about 164% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wollongong sits 81% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 A$24.70

$2.24 ฿75.7

675.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 A$119

$19.00 ฿642

340.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.15

$5.55 ฿188

92.07%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.93

$1.67 ฿56.6

107.78%

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

$3.03 A$4.31

$0.64 ฿21.56

373.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.24

$0.31 ฿10.32

635.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.19

$2.36 ฿79.6

203.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 A$10.02

$3.66 ฿124

92.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.22

$1.44 ฿48.51

106.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.14

$1.33 ฿45.07

66.17%

Eggs

$3.96 A$5.63

$2.28 ฿77.1

73.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 A$14.71

$16.45 ฿556

-37.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.40

$2.78 ฿94.0

239.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 A$22.29

$9.31 ฿314

68.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.14

$2.35 ฿79.5

23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.61

$0.97 ฿32.82

161.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.75

$1.60 ฿53.9

108.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.69

$1.50 ฿50.7

214.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.29

$1.28 ฿43.15

80.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.67

$1.10 ฿37.22

134.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.60

$0.71 ฿23.84

257.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.91

$0.49 ฿16.38

173.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.34 A$64.4

$4.14 ฿140

995.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$19.76

$17.52 ฿592

-20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.48 A$6.37

$1.61 ฿54.5

178.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$2.78 ฿94.0

75.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 A$3.33

$0.87 ฿29.33

170.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$196

$54.1 ฿1,827

155.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.66

$1.16 ฿39.08

243.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$0.53 ฿17.82

194.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.53 A$61.9

$2.42 ฿81.8

1698.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.45 ฿48.93

-8.28%

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

$28.5K A$40.6K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

35.57%

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

$24.8K A$35.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-7.99%

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

$186 A$264

$62.2 ฿2,100

198.76%

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

$26.37 A$37.47

$12.17 ฿411

116.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 A$70.9

$20.12 ฿680

147.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 A$87.2

$37.31 ฿1,260

64.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 A$19.58

$3.77 ฿127

265.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 A$19.20

$6.49 ฿219

108.17%

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

$2,193 A$3,117

$736 ฿24.9K

197.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

37.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 A$101

$53.4 ฿1,802

32.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.2

$24.64 ฿832

126.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$91.5 ฿3,089

16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$157

$71.9 ฿2,429

53.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,990

$482 ฿16.3K

190.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 A$1,651

$309 ฿10.4K

276.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 A$3,408

$1,006 ฿34.0K

138.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,604

$633 ฿21.4K

189.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 A$6,349

$2,363 ฿79.8K

89.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 A$5,070

$1,589 ฿53.7K

124.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,107 A$7,256

$590 ฿19.9K

765.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

5.57

-6.10%

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

Last update for Wollongong: 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

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 73.4% $853

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$357 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.3% $122

Eating Out

Wollongong

$284 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.7% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$262 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63.9% $168

Getting Around

Wollongong

$159 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 61.5% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$155 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$88 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 43.1% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Wollongong 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.

Salaries in Wollongong are about 8.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Wollongong versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:56 10:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

4 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Chiang Mai 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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

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

Wollongong costs about 164% 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 $3,700 per month in Wollongong 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 $1,400 in Wollongong.

Kindergarten costs $2,193 per month in Wollongong 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 52% more in Wollongong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,467 in Wollongong and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

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