Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bahawalpur and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahawalpur: $290 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Bahawalpur
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Bahawalpur Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bahawalpur

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$290

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $290 in Bahawalpur versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Bahawalpur $290
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $504 in Bahawalpur versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Bahawalpur $504
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $717 in Bahawalpur versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Bahawalpur $717
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Bahawalpur costs roughly 69% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bahawalpur 79% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.80 PKR 498

$2.26 ฿75.4

-20.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.39 PKR 2,047

$19.18 ฿641

-61.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 PKR 1,256

$5.59 ฿187

-18.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PKR 719

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 PKR 609

Cappuccino

$1.51 PKR 417

$1.72 ฿57.6

-12.21%

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

$0.31 PKR 84.6

$0.64 ฿21.54

-51.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 58.0

$0.33 ฿11.18

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 PKR 151

$2.05 ฿68.6

-73.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 154

$1.40 ฿46.70

-60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 PKR 283

$1.28 ฿42.89

-20.31%

Eggs

$0.89 PKR 247

$2.25 ฿75.3

-60.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.34 PKR 1,477

$16.94 ฿566

-68.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.60 PKR 719

$2.74 ฿91.6

-5.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.17 PKR 1,155

$9.36 ฿313

-55.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 PKR 292

$2.40 ฿80.3

-55.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 144

$1.01 ฿33.92

-48.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 156

$1.61 ฿53.9

-65.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 146

$1.52 ฿50.7

-65.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PKR 84.3

$1.28 ฿42.90

-76.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 PKR 130

$1.11 ฿37.22

-57.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 PKR 172

$0.72 ฿24.09

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.52 ฿17.54

-28.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 155

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 PKR 145

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PKR 193

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.41 PKR 389

$4.33 ฿145

-67.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 PKR 302

$1.17 ฿39.18

-6.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 PKR 304

$0.57 ฿19.00

92.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 PKR 791

$2.37 ฿79.2

20.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 PKR 333

$1.45 ฿48.32

-17.24%

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

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

16.11%

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

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-18.39%

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

$68.0 PKR 18.8K

$62.3 ฿2,083

9.06%

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

$4.60 PKR 1,274

$12.27 ฿410

-62.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 PKR 3,206

$19.97 ฿668

-42.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.67 PKR 2,953

$3.76 ฿126

183.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 PKR 1,963

$6.71 ฿224

5.66%

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

$23.83 PKR 6,596

$797 ฿26.6K

-97.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$646 PKR 178.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-95.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.54 PKR 4,578

$53.3 ฿1,780

-68.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.85 PKR 6,047

$25.05 ฿837

-12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.5 PKR 14.8K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-41.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.37 PKR 8,127

$73.5 ฿2,455

-60.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 PKR 69.8K

$915 ฿30.6K

-72.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 PKR 34.8K

$552 ฿18.5K

-77.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 PKR 964.1K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

82.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$758 PKR 209.8K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-47.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$138 PKR 38.1K

$595 ฿19.9K

-76.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

5.57

112.39%

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

Last update for Bahawalpur: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bahawalpur

$84 29%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 12.4% $10

Groceries & Markets

Bahawalpur

$82 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 189% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Bahawalpur

$55 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 101% $55

Eating Out

Bahawalpur

$48 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 64.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bahawalpur

$14 * 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 262% $37

Getting Around

Bahawalpur

$6.6 * 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 832% $55

Accommodation & Living

Bahawalpur

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Chiang Mai pays 332% 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: $7.00 in Bahawalpur vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $82.0 vs $238 per month, with Bahawalpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Bahawalpur

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

2 h ahead of Bahawalpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

762,111

127,240

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bahawalpur Chiang Mai 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bahawalpur
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

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

Bahawalpur wins on cost – living expenses run 224% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bahawalpur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 332% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 189% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $290 per month in Bahawalpur versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 224% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $290 in Bahawalpur versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bahawalpur but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bahawalpur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bahawalpur delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $290 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bahawalpur hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bahawalpur 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 Bahawalpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 224% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.