Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Andaman Islands and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in the Andaman Islands: $363 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in the Andaman Islands
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Andaman Islands Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Andaman Islands

🇮🇳 India

$363

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $363 in the Andaman Islands versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Andaman Islands $363
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $567 in the Andaman Islands versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Andaman Islands $567
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $772 in the Andaman Islands versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Andaman Islands $772
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in the Andaman Islands costs roughly 61% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Andaman Islands 73% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ₹195

$2.29 ฿76.5

-10.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.13 ₹582

$19.64 ฿656

-68.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.69 ₹351

$5.61 ฿188

-34.22%

Cappuccino

$1.28 ₹122

$1.66 ฿55.6

-22.89%

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

$0.71 ₹67.2

$0.70 ฿23.40

1.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.84

$0.31 ฿10.24

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₹137

$2.41 ฿80.4

-39.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₹269

$3.71 ฿124

-23.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 ₹90.1

$1.95 ฿65.3

-51.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹43.52

$1.41 ฿47.03

-67.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ₹68.2

$1.31 ฿43.62

-45.04%

Eggs

$1.22 ₹116

$2.18 ฿72.9

-44.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.42 ₹420

$16.65 ฿556

-73.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.89 ₹275

$2.76 ฿92.2

4.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ₹188

$2.39 ฿80.0

-17.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$1.03 ฿34.26

-39.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₹84.5

$1.63 ฿54.4

-45.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.72

$1.50 ฿50.0

-70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 ₹53.2

$1.29 ฿43.13

-56.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.59

$1.11 ฿37.03

-63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.44

$0.72 ฿24.08

-34.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.77

$0.53 ฿17.59

-52.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 ₹488

$4.31 ฿144

19.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ₹714

$17.95 ฿600

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₹157

$1.58 ฿52.9

4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₹247

$2.84 ฿95.0

-8.45%

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

$5.02 ₹477

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.51

$0.86 ฿28.86

-70.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.75 ₹736

$53.3 ฿1,780

-85.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₹76.9

$1.21 ฿40.29

-33.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.67

$0.57 ฿18.99

-52.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ₹148

$2.35 ฿78.6

-33.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₹98.8

$1.44 ฿47.96

-27.78%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-39.57%

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

$19.3K ₹1.8M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-28.04%

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

$35.05 ₹3,328

$62.3 ฿2,083

-43.77%

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

$3.40 ₹322

$12.11 ฿405

-71.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.41 ₹608

$19.94 ฿666

-67.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.38 ₹1,366

$37.07 ฿1,239

-61.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.33 ₹601

$3.78 ฿126

67.46%

Cinema Ticket

$2.42 ₹230

$6.50 ฿217

-62.77%

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

$47.89 ₹4,547

$793 ฿26.5K

-93.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,409 ₹133.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-90.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.96 ₹2,085

$53.7 ฿1,796

-59.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.14 ₹2,198

$24.62 ฿823

-6.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.59 ₹3,665

$90.9 ฿3,036

-57.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.98 ₹2,657

$71.1 ฿2,378

-60.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ₹11.7K

$455 ฿15.2K

-72.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.4 ₹6,967

$298 ฿9,954

-75.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₹24.8K

$908 ฿30.4K

-71.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₹16.4K

$554 ฿18.5K

-68.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$985 ₹93.6K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-48.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$523 ₹49.7K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-63.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$282 ₹26.8K

$591 ฿19.7K

-52.24%

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 the Andaman Islands: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Andaman Islands

$105 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 125% $131

Accommodation & Living

Andaman Islands

$73 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 306% $224

Eating Out

Andaman Islands

$59 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 32.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Andaman Islands

$50 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 115% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Andaman Islands

$45 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 110% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Andaman Islands

$19 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 161% $31

Getting Around

Andaman Islands

$11 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 458% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $123 in the Andaman Islands and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 109% 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: $6.00 in the Andaman Islands vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $105 vs $235 per month, with the Andaman Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Andaman Islands

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of the Andaman Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

343,125

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Andaman Islands Chiang Mai 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Andaman Islands
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

Andaman Islands vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Andaman Islands is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 155% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 109% lower in Chiang Mai. 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: $123 in the Andaman Islands versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in the Andaman Islands runs roughly 587% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $47.89 in the Andaman Islands versus $793 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $363 in the Andaman Islands versus $925 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in the Andaman Islands but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Andaman Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Andaman Islands is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Andaman Islands and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Andaman Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 155% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.