Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bahawalnagar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahawalnagar: $509 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Bahawalnagar
Learn more

Bahawalnagar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Bahawalnagar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$509

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Bahawalnagar versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Bahawalnagar $509
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $765 in Bahawalnagar versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Bahawalnagar $765
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,022 in Bahawalnagar versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Bahawalnagar $1,022
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Bahawalnagar costs roughly 46% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bahawalnagar 62% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.54 PKR 703

$2.13 ฿71.4

19.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.66 PKR 4,052

$18.62 ฿623

-21.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 PKR 1,613

$5.60 ฿187

4.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 PKR 1,027

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 PKR 1,466

Cappuccino

$2.62 PKR 724

$1.66 ฿55.6

57.83%

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

$0.40 PKR 111

$0.65 ฿21.63

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 PKR 65.9

$0.30 ฿10.20

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 PKR 254

$2.02 ฿67.4

-54.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 PKR 201

$1.41 ฿47.08

-48.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.39 ฿46.54

-10.79%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 331

$2.37 ฿79.2

-49.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.34 PKR 1,753

$16.52 ฿552

-61.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 PKR 703

$2.67 ฿89.3

-4.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 PKR 1,316

$9.02 ฿302

-47.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$2.40 ฿80.2

-48.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 PKR 192

$1.04 ฿34.82

-33.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 PKR 244

$1.66 ฿55.5

-46.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 PKR 175

$1.56 ฿52.1

-59.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 PKR 79.4

$1.24 ฿41.39

-76.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 106

$1.09 ฿36.34

-65.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 PKR 124

$0.76 ฿25.47

-40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.51 ฿17.19

-25.49%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.10 PKR 304

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 PKR 166

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 PKR 480

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 PKR 606

$4.12 ฿138

-46.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 PKR 47.68

$0.93 ฿31.25

-81.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.07 PKR 2,783

$52.9 ฿1,769

-80.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 243

$1.18 ฿39.35

-25.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 PKR 193

$0.17 ฿5.73

311.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 PKR 496

$1.81 ฿60.6

-0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 PKR 371

$1.47 ฿49.25

-8.84%

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

$17.9K PKR 4.9M

$21.0K ฿702.6K

-14.88%

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

$24.1K PKR 6.7M

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-8.94%

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

$126 PKR 34.9K

$62.6 ฿2,092

101.66%

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

$5.43 PKR 1,500

$11.60 ฿388

-53.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.59 PKR 4,586

$20.30 ฿679

-18.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.93 PKR 4,127

$37.88 ฿1,267

-60.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.32 PKR 2,299

$3.70 ฿124

124.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.23 PKR 1,170

$6.51 ฿218

-35.02%

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

$74.8 PKR 20.7K

$727 ฿24.3K

-89.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,060 PKR 569.2K

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-87.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.08 PKR 4,996

$53.5 ฿1,790

-66.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.39 PKR 7,569

$24.80 ฿829

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 PKR 20.7K

$90.4 ฿3,023

-17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.66 PKR 9,027

$72.0 ฿2,407

-54.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$137 PKR 37.8K

$481 ฿16.1K

-71.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.0 PKR 23.2K

$310 ฿10.4K

-72.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 PKR 74.6K

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-74.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 PKR 49.6K

$659 ฿22.0K

-72.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$816 PKR 225.6K

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-66.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$504 PKR 139.2K

$1,609 ฿53.8K

-68.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

5.57

152.24%

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

Last update for Bahawalnagar: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bahawalnagar

$148 29.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 36.2% $54

Groceries & Markets

Bahawalnagar

$97 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 143% $139

Accommodation & Living

Bahawalnagar

$84 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 269% $226

Eating Out

Bahawalnagar

$72 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 6.6% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bahawalnagar

$69 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 57.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bahawalnagar

$23 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 118% $28

Getting Around

Bahawalnagar

$15 3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 288% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $137 in Bahawalnagar and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15 in Bahawalnagar vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $97 vs $237 per month, with Bahawalnagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Bahawalnagar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

2 h ahead of Bahawalnagar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,033

127,240

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bahawalnagar Chiang Mai 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bahawalnagar
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

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

Bahawalnagar is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $763 in Bahawalnagar and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $137 in Bahawalnagar versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bahawalnagar runs roughly 81% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $75 in Bahawalnagar versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, Bahawalnagar and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bahawalnagar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.