Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belgaum and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Belgaum: $332 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Belgaum, India
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Belgaum
🇮🇳 India
$332
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $332 in Belgaum versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

  • Belgaum $332
  • Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $558 in Belgaum versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

  • Belgaum $558
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $784 in Belgaum versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

  • Belgaum $784
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Belgaum costs roughly 64% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Belgaum 75% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.89 ₹178
$2.13 ฿71.2
-11.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.75 ₹1,015
$18.62 ฿622
-42.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.61 ₹247
$5.60 ฿187
-53.39%
Cappuccino
$1.61 ₹152
$1.66 ฿55.5
-3.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ₹34.15
$0.65 ฿21.59
-44.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.11 ₹10.51
$0.30 ฿10.18
-63.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.93 ₹88.1
$2.32 ฿77.5
-59.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ₹213
$3.67 ฿122
-38.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.71 ₹66.9
$2.02 ฿67.3
-64.85%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ₹48.35
$1.41 ฿47.00
-63.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.62 ₹59.0
$1.39 ฿46.46
-55.40%
Eggs
$0.77 ₹73.0
$2.37 ฿79.0
-67.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.88 ₹461
$16.52 ฿551
-70.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.01 ₹284
$2.67 ฿89.1
12.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.02 ฿301
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.60 ₹151
$2.40 ฿80.1
-33.33%
Banana (1kg)
$0.64 ₹60.6
$1.04 ฿34.76
-38.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ₹143
$1.66 ฿55.4
-8.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.31 ₹29.71
$1.56 ฿52.0
-80.13%
Potato (1kg)
$0.38 ₹36.06
$1.24 ฿41.31
-69.35%
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₹37.56
$1.09 ฿36.27
-63.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.25 ₹23.43
$0.76 ฿25.43
-67.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.75
$0.51 ฿17.16
-39.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.80 ₹359
$4.12 ฿138
-7.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.44 ₹514
$17.93 ฿598
-69.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 ₹132
$1.62 ฿54.2
-13.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 ₹201
$2.82 ฿94.2
-24.47%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$2.62 ₹247
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.20 ₹18.87
$0.93 ฿31.19
-78.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$14.87 ₹1,404
$52.9 ฿1,766
-71.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 ₹102
$1.18 ฿39.28
-8.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.51 ₹48.36
$0.17 ฿5.72
200.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 ₹81.8
$1.81 ฿60.5
-51.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ₹104
$1.47 ฿49.16
-25.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.9K ₹1.0M
$21.0K ฿701.4K
-48.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.4K ₹1.7M
$26.5K ฿885.1K
-30.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$29.82 ₹2,817
$62.6 ฿2,088
-52.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.14 ₹296
$11.60 ฿387
-72.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$5.66 ₹535
$20.30 ฿678
-72.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$4.64 ₹438
$37.88 ฿1,264
-87.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.55 ₹619
$3.70 ฿123
77.03%
Cinema Ticket
$2.08 ₹197
$6.51 ฿217
-68.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$20.95 ₹1,979
$727 ฿24.3K
-97.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$858 ₹81.0K
$16.6K ฿553.2K
-94.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.53 ₹1,278
$53.5 ฿1,787
-74.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.81 ₹3,383
$24.80 ฿828
44.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$43.50 ₹4,110
$90.4 ฿3,017
-51.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$23.60 ₹2,230
$72.0 ฿2,402
-67.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$122 ₹11.5K
$481 ฿16.1K
-74.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$64.0 ₹6,043
$310 ฿10.3K
-79.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$262 ₹24.8K
$1,058 ฿35.3K
-75.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$194 ₹18.3K
$659 ฿22.0K
-70.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$594 ₹56.1K
$2,418 ฿80.7K
-75.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$404 ₹38.1K
$1,609 ฿53.7K
-74.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Belgaum
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$306 ₹28.9K
$595 ฿19.9K
-48.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.75
5.57
93.00%

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

Last update for Belgaum: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Belgaum
$96
Chiang Mai
$237 147% $141
Accommodation & Living
Belgaum
$64
Chiang Mai
$310 385% $246
Eating Out
Belgaum
$53
Chiang Mai
$77 43.6% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Belgaum
$52
Chiang Mai
$108 107% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Belgaum
$39
Chiang Mai
$94 145% $56
Getting Around
Belgaum
$19
Chiang Mai
$59 204% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Belgaum
$8.8
Chiang Mai
$51 478% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $122 in Belgaum and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 94% 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: $11 in Belgaum vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $96 vs $237 per month, with Belgaum cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Belgaum
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
09:22 9:22 AM
10:52 10:52 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Belgaum
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
600,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Belgaum Chiang Mai 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Belgaum
  • 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
Belgaum vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Belgaum and in Chiang Mai?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $332 in Belgaum and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Belgaum is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Belgaum. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Belgaum and in Chiang Mai?
Rent for a central apartment: $122 in Belgaum versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Belgaum – a meal for two runs $11 versus $19 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Belgaum or Chiang Mai?
All in, you’ll spend $332 per month in Belgaum versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Belgaum is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $1,200 go in Belgaum compared to Chiang Mai?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Belgaum gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Belgaum and Chiang Mai?
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.
Is Belgaum or Chiang Mai safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Belgaum and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Belgaum or Chiang Mai?
Expats usually find Belgaum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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