Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amritsar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Amritsar: $426 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Amritsar
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Amritsar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Amritsar

🇮🇳 India

$426

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $426 in Amritsar versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Amritsar $426
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $682 in Amritsar versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Amritsar $682
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $938 in Amritsar versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Amritsar $938
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Amritsar costs roughly 54% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Amritsar 68% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹202

$2.13 ฿71.2

0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.59 ₹811

$18.62 ฿622

-53.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.44 ₹325

$5.60 ฿187

-38.57%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ₹180

$1.66 ฿55.5

15.06%

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

$0.41 ₹38.61

$0.65 ฿21.59

-36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.85

$0.30 ฿10.18

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 ₹148

$2.32 ฿77.5

-32.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₹297

$3.67 ฿122

-14.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 ₹66.0

$2.02 ฿67.3

-65.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹48.82

$1.41 ฿47.00

-63.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₹79.1

$1.39 ฿46.46

-39.57%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹84.0

$2.37 ฿79.0

-62.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.30 ₹406

$16.52 ฿551

-73.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.87 ₹271

$2.67 ฿89.1

7.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ₹158

$2.40 ฿80.1

-30.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹71.8

$1.04 ฿34.76

-26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 ₹55.6

$1.66 ฿55.4

-64.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.13

$1.56 ฿52.0

-71.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.03

$1.24 ฿41.31

-77.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.25

$1.09 ฿36.27

-68.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ₹28.76

$0.76 ฿25.43

-60.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹28.90

$0.51 ฿17.16

-39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 ₹478

$4.12 ฿138

22.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 ₹1,080

$17.93 ฿598

-36.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₹163

$1.62 ฿54.2

6.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₹251

$2.82 ฿94.2

-5.67%

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

$5.47 ₹517

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₹33.69

$0.93 ฿31.19

-61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.90 ₹1,974

$52.9 ฿1,766

-60.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 ₹93.3

$1.18 ฿39.28

-16.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹20.80

$0.17 ฿5.72

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ₹153

$1.81 ฿60.5

-10.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₹107

$1.47 ฿49.16

-23.13%

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

$11.5K ₹1.1M

$21.0K ฿701.4K

-45.49%

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

$25.6K ₹2.4M

$26.5K ฿885.1K

-3.35%

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

$37.84 ₹3,575

$62.6 ฿2,088

-39.51%

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

$3.10 ₹293

$11.60 ฿387

-73.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.89 ₹651

$20.30 ฿678

-66.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.51 ₹2,788

$37.88 ฿1,264

-22.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.22 ₹493

$3.70 ฿123

41.08%

Cinema Ticket

$3.12 ₹295

$6.51 ฿217

-52.07%

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

$38.75 ₹3,661

$727 ฿24.3K

-94.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,606 ₹151.7K

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-90.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.84 ₹2,630

$53.5 ฿1,787

-48.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.92 ₹2,354

$24.80 ฿828

0.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.7 ₹5,069

$90.4 ฿3,017

-40.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.63 ₹4,122

$72.0 ฿2,402

-39.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$121 ₹11.5K

$481 ฿16.1K

-74.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.9 ₹7,263

$310 ฿10.3K

-75.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 ₹27.2K

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-72.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ₹20.2K

$659 ฿22.0K

-67.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,141 ₹107.8K

$2,418 ฿80.7K

-52.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$808 ₹76.4K

$1,609 ฿53.7K

-49.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₹36.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

-34.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.63%

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

Last update for Amritsar: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Amritsar

$107 25.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 121% $130

Accommodation & Living

Amritsar

$77 18%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 303% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Amritsar

$68 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 60.4% $41

Eating Out

Amritsar

$67 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 14.4% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amritsar

$48 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 97.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Amritsar

$36 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 42.4% $15

Getting Around

Amritsar

$24 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 140% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $121 in Amritsar and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 54% 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: $9 in Amritsar vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $107 vs $237 per month, with Amritsar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Amritsar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Amritsar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,132,761

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amritsar Chiang Mai 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Amritsar
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

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

Amritsar wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Amritsar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Amritsar. 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: $121 in Amritsar versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Amritsar – a meal for two runs $9 versus $19 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $426 per month in Amritsar versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Amritsar is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $426 in Amritsar versus $935 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Amritsar but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Amritsar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Amritsar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.