Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Araria and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Araria: $386 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Araria
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Araria Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Araria

🇮🇳 India

$386

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $386 per month in Araria vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Araria $386
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $616 per month in Araria vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Araria $616
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $845 per month in Araria vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Araria $845
Chiang Mai $1,979

Araria is about 59% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Araria and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Araria 72% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 ₹201

$2.24 ฿75.7

-5.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.74 ₹926

$19.00 ฿642

-48.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.09 ₹294

$5.55 ฿188

-44.32%

Cappuccino

$1.65 ₹157

$1.67 ฿56.6

-1.20%

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

$0.38 ₹36.46

$0.64 ฿21.56

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹12.26

$0.31 ฿10.32

-58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 ₹187

$2.36 ฿79.6

-16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 ₹573

$3.66 ฿124

64.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.4

$1.95 ฿65.8

-68.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 ₹41.08

$1.44 ฿48.51

-70.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.57 ₹54.2

$1.33 ฿45.07

-57.14%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.5

$2.28 ฿77.1

-58.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 ₹611

$16.45 ฿556

-60.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.18 ₹208

$2.78 ฿94.0

-21.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 ₹134

$2.35 ฿79.5

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ₹69.4

$0.97 ฿32.82

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.00 ₹94.8

$1.60 ฿53.9

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.64

$1.50 ฿50.7

-72.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.83

$1.28 ฿43.15

-71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.65

$1.10 ฿37.22

-58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.55

$0.71 ฿23.84

-33.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.86

$0.49 ฿16.38

-40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₹484

$4.14 ฿140

22.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₹604

$17.52 ฿592

-63.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$1.61 ฿54.5

1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ₹198

$2.78 ฿94.0

-24.82%

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

$6.96 ₹662

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.91

$0.87 ฿29.33

-71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.54 ₹622

$54.1 ฿1,827

-87.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 ₹121

$1.16 ฿39.08

9.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 ₹15.07

$0.53 ฿17.82

-69.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ₹195

$2.42 ฿81.8

-15.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ₹108

$1.45 ฿48.93

-21.38%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-47.47%

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

$27.1K ₹2.6M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

0.54%

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

$45.08 ₹4,288

$62.2 ฿2,100

-27.49%

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

$2.86 ₹272

$12.17 ฿411

-76.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.34 ₹603

$20.12 ฿680

-68.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.66 ₹1,204

$37.31 ฿1,260

-66.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 ₹653

$3.77 ฿127

82.23%

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 ₹319

$6.49 ฿219

-48.23%

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

$55.7 ₹5,301

$736 ฿24.9K

-92.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,709 ₹162.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-88.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.02 ₹2,284

$53.4 ฿1,802

-54.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 ₹2,761

$24.64 ฿832

17.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.78 ₹3,593

$91.5 ฿3,089

-58.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.18 ₹3,251

$71.9 ฿2,429

-52.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$135 ₹12.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

-71.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.2 ₹7,623

$309 ฿10.4K

-74.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 ₹24.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-74.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 ₹19.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-67.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$821 ₹78.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-65.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$550 ₹52.3K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-65.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

5.57

69.84%

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

Last update for Araria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Araria

$97 25%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 143% $138

Accommodation & Living

Araria

$80 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 285% $229

Eating Out

Araria

$70 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 11% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Araria

$56 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 93.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Araria

$54 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Araria

$19 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 160% $31

Getting Around

Araria

$9.6 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 539% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $135 in Araria 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $10 in Araria versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $97 vs $234 – making Araria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Araria

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Araria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,600

127,240

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 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 = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Araria Chiang Mai 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Araria
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $579 per month in Araria 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 Araria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $135 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Araria. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $56 per month in Araria and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Araria is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 142% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.