Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ahmedabad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahmedabad: $525 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Ahmedabad
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Ahmedabad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ahmedabad

🇮🇳 India

$525

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $525 in Ahmedabad versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Ahmedabad $525
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $841 in Ahmedabad versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Ahmedabad $841
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,158 in Ahmedabad versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Ahmedabad $1,158
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Ahmedabad costs roughly 44% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ahmedabad 61% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.15 ₹490

$2.24 ฿75.7

129.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.03 ₹1,621

$19.00 ฿642

-10.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.16 ₹396

$5.55 ฿188

-25.05%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ₹226

$1.67 ฿56.6

42.51%

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

$0.47 ₹44.83

$0.64 ฿21.56

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ₹18.37

$0.31 ฿10.32

-38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 ₹330

$2.36 ฿79.6

47.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 ₹530

$3.66 ฿124

51.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 ₹69.6

$1.95 ฿65.8

-62.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₹56.2

$1.44 ฿48.51

-59.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 ₹60.7

$1.33 ฿45.07

-51.88%

Eggs

$1.10 ₹105

$2.28 ฿77.1

-51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.18 ₹589

$16.45 ฿556

-62.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₹401

$2.78 ฿94.0

51.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₹205

$2.35 ฿79.5

-8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ₹59.7

$0.97 ฿32.82

-35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 ₹111

$1.60 ฿53.9

-26.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.87

$1.50 ฿50.7

-68.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 ₹29.23

$1.28 ฿43.15

-75.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₹33.58

$1.10 ฿37.22

-68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ₹52.8

$0.71 ฿23.84

-22.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.59

$0.49 ฿16.38

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 ₹475

$4.14 ฿140

20.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₹781

$17.52 ฿592

-53.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹186

$1.61 ฿54.5

21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₹320

$2.78 ฿94.0

20.86%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.18 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.92

$0.87 ฿29.33

-71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.32 ₹982

$54.1 ฿1,827

-80.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.16 ฿39.08

-7.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.89

$0.53 ฿17.82

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ₹196

$2.42 ฿81.8

-14.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$1.45 ฿48.93

-23.45%

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

$11.4K ₹1.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-46.01%

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

$23.2K ₹2.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-13.84%

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

$43.53 ₹4,145

$62.2 ฿2,100

-29.98%

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

$3.89 ₹370

$12.17 ฿411

-68.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.50 ₹1,095

$20.12 ฿680

-42.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.09 ₹2,103

$37.31 ฿1,260

-40.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.16 ₹777

$3.77 ฿127

116.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.98 ₹379

$6.49 ฿219

-38.67%

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

$52.5 ₹5,003

$736 ฿24.9K

-92.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,408 ₹134.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-90.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.95 ₹2,471

$53.4 ฿1,802

-51.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.41 ₹2,610

$24.64 ฿832

11.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.06 ₹4,671

$91.5 ฿3,089

-46.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.65 ₹2,633

$71.9 ฿2,429

-61.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 ₹17.7K

$482 ฿16.3K

-61.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 ₹12.3K

$309 ฿10.4K

-58.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ₹41.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-56.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₹28.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-53.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 ₹82.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-63.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$559 ₹53.2K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-64.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$530 ₹50.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

-10.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.86

5.57

59.07%

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

Last update for Ahmedabad: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ahmedabad

$129 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 140% $180

Groceries & Markets

Ahmedabad

$121 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 93% $113

Eating Out

Ahmedabad

$113 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ahmedabad

$59 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Ahmedabad

$59 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 85.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Ahmedabad

$30 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 67.4% $20

Getting Around

Ahmedabad

$14 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 346% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $186 in Ahmedabad and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17 in Ahmedabad vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $121 vs $234 per month, with Ahmedabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Ahmedabad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Ahmedabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,352,254

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 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 INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ahmedabad Chiang Mai 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ahmedabad
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $525 in Ahmedabad and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Ahmedabad is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Ahmedabad. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $186 in Ahmedabad versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $53 in Ahmedabad versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Ahmedabad gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ahmedabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.