Which place is cheaper, Cape Town or Chiang Mai?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Chiang Mai or Cape Town?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Chiang Mai and Cape Town. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Chiang Mai or Cape Town?
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is both the cultural center of northern Thailand and a launching point for trips into the rural areas, small towns, and lush jungles of the country's northern regions. Known for great food, historic temples, arts and crafts, and a lively night market, Chiang Mai is a very popular destination for travelers. In some areas, tourists and ex-pats dominate, but it's quite easy to get away from the tourist scene and into the real culture of Thailand, as Chiang Mai (and the surrounding countryside) is quite large.
Cape Town
Picture your travel bucket list. Is Cape Town on it? Yes, most people dream of visiting the "Mother City" of South Africa. As one of the most iconic places in the world, Cape Town is a world-class cosmopolitan city full of bustling nightlife, historical backdrops and a large gay community.
Cape Town is the most southern city in Africa with seasons turned upside down. In the southern hemisphere they experience the summer from December to February. During these months days can be hot and dry so be sure to gather in the shade and wear plenty of sunscreen. The winter from June to August is full of rainy days and cold nights.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best G Adventures Tours to Thailand, The Best 3-Day Tours from Phuket, The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayChiang Mai $45Cape Town $98
The average daily cost (per person) in Chiang Mai is $45, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is $98. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Chiang Mai and Cape Town in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personChiang Mai $26Cape Town $39
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomChiang Mai $52Cape Town $78
Compare Hotels in Chiang Mai and Cape Town
Looking for a hotel in Chiang Mai or Cape Town? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Chiang Mai Hotel Prices and Cape Town Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Chiang Mai $3.61Cape Town $17
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Chiang Mai
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Chiang Mai are as follows:
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Tuk Tuk Ride$1.09
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Moped Rental$4.89
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Chiang Mai
Also for Chiang Mai, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Zipline Adventure at Chiang Mai with Return Transfer: $192
- Try find your better than us!Airport transfer service in Chiang Mai APT-HTL(CNX): $12
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service Chiang Mai HTL-APT(CNX): $12
- Skyline Jungle Luge Ticket + Lunch with Private Transfer: $250
- Private Vehicle: Transfer from Airport in Chiang Mai: $21
- Private Van: Chiang Mai Airport Arrival or Departure Transfer : $45
- Private Transfer: Four Seasons Hotel to Chiang Mai Airport: $24
- Private Transfer: Chiang Mai Airport Arrival or Departure ride: $155
- Private Transfer Chiang Mai Airport to Hotel in Chiang Mai by Car and Van: $37
- Private Departure Transfer: Hotel to Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX): $11
- Private Car: Chiang Mai Airport Transfers : $25
- Private Arrival Transfer - Chiang Mai Airport to Chiang Mai City Hotel(SHA Plus): $16
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town
Also for Cape Town, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- From 3-Day Safari and Coastal Tour with Transfer: $508
- From Group Transfer Only to Aquilla Game Reserve: $459
- Big 5 Aquila Safari Private Transfer with Park Fee From Cape Town: $300
- Jeep Dune Adventure Tour, Sandboarding & Transfer: $279
- Shark Cage Diving & Penguins Tour to Gansbaai with private transfers: $274
- Cape Town Morning or Afternoon Safari including private transfer: $254
- Aquila Safari Game Drive, Lunch & Shared Transfers from Cape Town: $252
- Whale Watching In Hermanus with Private Transfer: $250
- Pvt Airport to Hout Bay Transfer: $243
- Full Day Private Chauffeur and Transfer Services in Cape Town: $240
- 1 Day Helderberg Valley Winelands Tour with Private Transfers: $232
- Hermanus Wine Tour (Full Day Including Cape Town Transfers): $230
Is it cheaper to fly into Chiang Mai or Cape Town?
Prices for flights to both Cape Town and Chiang Mai change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayChiang Mai $10Cape Town $42
Typical Food Prices in Chiang Mai
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Chiang Mai:
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Sit Down Dinner (for One)$5.30
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Roti Snack (Bread)$0.65
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Casual Breakfast$1.09
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$5.43
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Mangoes$0.82
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Coffee$1.36
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Chiang Mai
For Chiang Mai, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Cooking Evening Class Chiang Mai Visit Organic Garden and Market: $11
- Cooking Morning Class Chiang Mai Visit Organic Garden and Market : $11
- Traditional Khantoke Dinner and Show from Chiang Mai: $19
- Khantoke Dinner with Traditional Performance: $22
- Afternoon Cooking Class in Organic Garden in Chiang Mai: $22
- Evening Cooking Class in Organic Garden Chiang Mai: $22
- Half-Day Thai Cooking Class at Organic Farm in Chiang Mai: $22
- Cooking Class, Market and Thai Herbs Garden Tour: $25
- Authentic Easy Thai Recipes for Home-Style Cooking Half Day AM: $25
- Half Day Evening Cooking Class with Yummy Tasty Thai Cooking School: $25
- Half-Day Thai Cuisine Cooking Experience in Chiang Mai : $27
- Thai and Isaan Cooking Class & Local Market Tour: $27
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Dinner At Mandela's - Cultural Township Dinner Experience: $28
- Cape Malay Cooking Class in Bo-Kaap: $41
- 3-Hour Malay Cooking Class & Lunch in Bo-Kaap: $43
- Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $55
- Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $56
- Bo-Kapp Walking Tour and Malay Cooking Class: $59
- African Dinner, Drumming Experience with Transfer: $61
- African Dinner Experience from Cape Town: $61
- Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $62
- Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $71
- Cape Town Food tour (Includes all food) 4hrs: $76
- Private Cooking Class and Meal in Local Wynberg Cape Town Home: $80
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Chiang Mai $13Cape Town $23
Typical Entertainment Prices in Chiang Mai
For Chiang Mai, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
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Thai Cooking Class$35
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Doi Suthep Entrance Ticket$1.63
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Kratong Lessons$2.72
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Pedicure$4.08
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Chiang Mai Museum (for Two)$4.89
Tours and Activities in Chiang Mai
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Chiang Mai.
- 9 Hours Nature Tour in Inthanon National Park From Chiang Mai: $71
- Chiang Mai Thapae Muay Thai Boxing Stadium Ticket: $28
- One Day Doi Inthanon National Park Small Group Guided Tour: $40
- Private Tour of Sacred Sakyant Tattoo in Lamphun Province.: $79
- 1 Day Doi Inthanon Private tour ( Hiking and Sightseeing ): $96
- 1 Day Private Tour Doi Inthanon And Phachor Canyon: $128
- 1 Day Private Tour White Temple and Renewed Doichang Coffee: $188
- 1 Hr Chiang Mai Buggy Tour (Off-Road): $150
- 1-Day Bike and River Kayak Adventure from Chiang Mai: $64
- 10KM Inflatable Kayaking Adventure: $82
- 10km Rafting with 8Adventures from Chiang Mai Include Pickup & Lunch : $103
- 2 Days 1 Night Non Tourist Trek: $123
Tours and Activities in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 3 Wineries Private Tour in Stellenbosch, Paarl Tasting Included: $137
- Bespoke Tour : Cape Point , Table Mountain & Penguin Colony : $257
- Cape Agulhas Full Day Private Tour: $192
- Cape Point Full Day Tour: $192
- Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope day tour Up to 10 persons: $66
- Cape Town - Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens and City Tour: $280
- Cape Town Woodstock Street Art Walking Tour: $30
- CapeWinelands Private Tour to Stellenbosch,Franschhoek and Paarl: $96
- Day Tour in Robben Island, Bo-Kaap and Table Mountain : $166
- Long Walk to Freedom in Robben Island including Ticket & Afrogem: $156
- Mandela's Robben Island Museum Bo-Kaap Cape Town City Tour + Ferry ticket f/d: $165
- Penguins Private Tour- Cape of Good Hope & Cape Point Tour from Cape Town: $114
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayChiang Mai $6.73Cape Town $21
Typical Alcohol Prices in Chiang Mai
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Chiang Mai are as follows:
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Wine$2.72
Sample the Local Flavors in Chiang Mai
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Chiang Mai:
- Chiang Mai Pub Crawl: The Best Bars & Pubs in Chiang Mai!: $9.55
Sample the Local Flavors in Cape Town
Also in Cape Town, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Distillery Tour, rum and gin tasting: $7.13
- Experience South African Craft Rum tasting and distillery tour in Cape Town: $9.60
- African drum show & wine tasting at Silvermist: $24
- Drumstruck at Silvermist. Live African Drum Show & Wine tasting: $25
- Sip 15 Wines on a 3-Region Wine Tour with Cheese: $38
- Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $38
- Three Region Wine Tour: $44
- Cape Winelands and Wine Tasting Full Day Tour: $47
- half day wine tour & Safaris[Morning /Afternoon]: $49
- Stellenbosch: Half-Day Wine Tour: $51
- Fullday Wine Tour: $51
- Stellenbosch Wine Tour half day from Cape Town: $54
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Chiang Mai and Cape Town, we can see that Cape Town is more expensive. And not only is Chiang Mai much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Chiang Mai is in Asia and Cape Town is in Africa, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Chiang Mai would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Chiang Mai and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Cape Town would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cape Town than you might in Chiang Mai.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Chiang Mai Expensive? and Is Cape Town Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Chiang Mai or Cape Town?
Cape Town has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of Chiang Mai. When comparing the sizes of Chiang Mai and Cape Town, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
When is the best time to visit Chiang Mai or Cape Town?
Cape Town has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, but Chiang Mai experiences a warm climate with fairly sunny weather most of the year.
Should I visit Chiang Mai or Cape Town in the Summer?
The summer attracts plenty of travelers to both Chiang Mai and Cape Town. Warm weather and sunshine bring visitors to Chiang Mai year-round.
In the summer, Chiang Mai is a little warmer than Cape Town. Typically, the summer temperatures in Chiang Mai in July average around 30°C (86°F), and Cape Town averages at about 21°C (70°F)in January.
People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Cape Town this time of the year. Chiang Mai usually receives less sunshine than Cape Town during summer. Chiang Mai gets 146 hours of sunny skies, while Cape Town receives 338 hours of full sun in the summer.
Chiang Mai gets a good bit of rain this time of year. In July, Chiang Mai usually receives more rain than Cape Townin January. Chiang Mai gets 161 mm (6.3 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 14 mm (0.6 in) of rain each month for the summer. Also, June to September is the rainy season in Chiang Mai.
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Summer Average Temperatures July and JanuaryChiang Mai 30°C (86°F)Cape Town 21°C (70°F)
Should I visit Chiang Mai or Cape Town in the Autumn?
The autumn brings many poeple to Chiang Mai as well as Cape Town. Chiang Mai attracts visitors year-round for its warm weather and sunny climate.
In October, Chiang Mai is generally much warmer than Cape Townin April. Daily temperatures in Chiang Mai average around 29°C (83°F), and Cape Town fluctuates around 18°C (64°F).
The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Cape Town. People are often attracted to the plentiful sunshine in Chiang Mai this time of the year. In the autumn, Chiang Mai often gets around the same amount of sunshine as Cape Townin April. Chiang Mai gets 226 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Cape Town receives 233 hours of full sun.
Chiang Mai receives a lot of rain in the autumn. Chiang Mai usually gets more rain in October than Cape Townin April. Chiang Mai gets 122 mm (4.8 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 41 mm (1.6 in) of rain this time of the year. Also, November to February in Chiang Mai is the dry season.
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Autumn Average Temperatures October and AprilChiang Mai 29°C (83°F)Cape Town 18°C (64°F)
Should I visit Chiang Mai or Cape Town in the Winter?
Both Cape Town and Chiang Mai are popular destinations to visit in the winter with plenty of activities. The warm climate attracts visitors to Chiang Mai throughout the year.
Chiang Mai is much warmer than Cape Town in the winter. The daily temperature in Chiang Mai averages around 23°C (74°F) in January, and Cape Town fluctuates around 13°C (55°F)in July.
The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai usually receives more sunshine than Cape Town during winter. Chiang Mai gets 283 hours of sunny skies, while Cape Town receives 193 hours of full sun in the winter.
In January, Chiang Mai usually receives less rain than Cape Townin July. Chiang Mai gets 7 mm (0.3 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 83 mm (3.3 in) of rain each month for the winter. The dry season in Chiang Mai is November to February.
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Winter Average Temperatures January and JulyChiang Mai 23°C (74°F)Cape Town 13°C (55°F)
Should I visit Chiang Mai or Cape Town in the Spring?
Both Cape Town and Chiang Mai during the spring are popular places to visit. Plenty of visitors come to Chiang Mai because of the warm climate and sunshine that lasts throughout the year.
The heat can be very extreme in Chiang Mai. In the spring, Chiang Mai is much warmer than Cape Town. Typically, the spring temperatures in Chiang Mai in April average around 31°C (88°F), and Cape Town averages at about 16°C (61°F)in October.
In Cape Town, it's very sunny this time of the year. It's quite sunny in Chiang Mai. In the spring, Chiang Mai often gets around the same amount of sunshine as Cape Townin October. Chiang Mai gets 275 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Cape Town receives 278 hours of full sun.
Chiang Mai usually gets more rain in April than Cape Townin October. Chiang Mai gets 50 mm (2 in) of rain, while Cape Town receives 33 mm (1.3 in) of rain this time of the year. June to September is the rainy season in Chiang Mai.
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Spring Average Temperatures April and OctoberChiang Mai 31°C (88°F)Cape Town 16°C (61°F)
Typical Weather for Cape Town and Chiang Mai
| Chiang Mai | Cape Town | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 23°C (74°F) | 7 mm (0.3 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 14 mm (0.6 in) |
| Feb | 26°C (78°F) | 5 mm (0.2 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 16 mm (0.6 in) |
| Mar | 29°C (83°F) | 13 mm (0.5 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 21 mm (0.8 in) |
| Apr | 31°C (88°F) | 50 mm (2 in) | 18°C (64°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) |
| May | 31°C (87°F) | 158 mm (6.2 in) | 15°C (59°F) | 68 mm (2.7 in) |
| Jun | 30°C (86°F) | 132 mm (5.2 in) | 13°C (56°F) | 93 mm (3.7 in) |
| Jul | 30°C (86°F) | 161 mm (6.3 in) | 13°C (55°F) | 83 mm (3.3 in) |
| Aug | 29°C (85°F) | 236 mm (9.3 in) | 13°C (55°F) | 77 mm (3 in) |
| Sep | 29°C (85°F) | 228 mm (9 in) | 14°C (58°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) |
| Oct | 29°C (83°F) | 122 mm (4.8 in) | 16°C (61°F) | 33 mm (1.3 in) |
| Nov | 27°C (80°F) | 53 mm (2.1 in) | 19°C (65°F) | 16 mm (0.6 in) |
| Dec | 24°C (75°F) | 20 mm (0.8 in) | 20°C (68°F) | 17 mm (0.7 in) |
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.