Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bikaner and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bikaner: $280 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bikaner, India
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bikaner
🇮🇳 India
$280
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $280 per month in Bikaner vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Bikaner $280
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $462 per month in Bikaner vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Bikaner $462
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $644 per month in Bikaner vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Bikaner $644
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Bikaner is about 70% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bikaner and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Bikaner 79% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.12 ₹296
$2.24 ฿75.5
39.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$8.35 ₹793
$19.00 ฿640
-56.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.73 ₹354
$5.55 ฿187
-32.79%
Cappuccino
$1.13 ₹107
$1.67 ฿56.4
-32.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 ₹35.92
$0.64 ฿21.51
-40.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.10 ₹9.57
$0.31 ฿10.29
-67.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.19 ₹113
$2.36 ฿79.5
-49.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 ₹350
$3.66 ฿123
0.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.48 ₹45.34
$1.95 ฿65.7
-75.38%
White Bread (500g)
$0.39 ₹37.43
$1.44 ฿48.41
-72.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.80 ₹76.3
$1.33 ฿44.97
-39.85%
Eggs
$1.11 ₹105
$2.28 ฿77.0
-51.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.41 ₹419
$16.45 ฿554
-73.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.54 ₹336
$2.78 ฿93.8
27.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.31 ฿314
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 ₹174
$2.35 ฿79.3
-22.13%
Banana (1kg)
$0.44 ₹41.69
$0.97 ฿32.75
-54.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 ₹52.3
$1.60 ฿53.8
-65.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 ₹48.68
$1.50 ฿50.6
-66.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.26 ₹24.58
$1.28 ฿43.06
-79.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.37 ₹34.78
$1.10 ฿37.14
-66.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.41 ₹38.81
$0.71 ฿23.79
-42.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.28 ₹26.23
$0.49 ฿16.34
-42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.03 ₹477
$4.14 ฿140
21.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.02 ₹667
$17.52 ฿590
-59.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 ₹151
$1.61 ฿54.4
-0.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 ₹261
$2.78 ฿93.8
-1.08%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$2.23 ₹212
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.91 ₹86.1
$0.87 ฿29.27
4.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,823
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.89 ₹84.8
$1.16 ฿39.00
-23.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.18 ₹17.21
$0.53 ฿17.78
-66.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.04 ₹98.5
$2.42 ฿81.6
-57.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ₹105
$1.45 ฿48.82
-23.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.1M
$21.1K ฿709.7K
-47.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K ₹2.5M
$26.9K ฿907.9K
-0.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$21.26 ₹2,017
$62.2 ฿2,095
-65.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.84 ₹269
$12.17 ฿410
-76.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.23 ₹591
$20.12 ฿678
-69.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$12.79 ₹1,214
$37.31 ฿1,257
-65.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$2.99 ₹284
$6.49 ฿219
-53.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$44.72 ₹4,244
$736 ฿24.8K
-93.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,190 ₹112.9K
$14.8K ฿497.6K
-91.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.80 ₹2,069
$53.4 ฿1,799
-59.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$12.39 ₹1,176
$24.64 ฿830
-49.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$26.28 ₹2,494
$91.5 ฿3,083
-71.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$14.85 ₹1,409
$71.9 ฿2,424
-79.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$58.5 ₹5,555
$482 ฿16.3K
-87.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$28.34 ₹2,689
$309 ฿10.4K
-90.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$155 ₹14.7K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-84.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 ₹9,865
$633 ฿21.3K
-83.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,363 ฿79.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bikaner
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$239 ₹22.7K
$590 ฿19.9K
-59.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.17
5.57
64.63%

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

Last update for Bikaner: 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
Bikaner
$98
Chiang Mai
$234 140% $137
Eating Out
Bikaner
$65
Chiang Mai
$78 19.5% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Bikaner
$34
Chiang Mai
$109 221% $75
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bikaner
$30
Chiang Mai
$94 211% $64
Accommodation & Living
Bikaner
$28
Chiang Mai
$309 990% $281
Sport & Entertainment
Bikaner
$19
Chiang Mai
$50 168% $32
Getting Around
Bikaner
$5.4 *
Chiang Mai
$61 1030% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $59 in Bikaner 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.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.5 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Bikaner versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $98 vs $234 – making Bikaner the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Bikaner
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
12:27 12:27 PM
13:57 1:57 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of Bikaner
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
647,804
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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 94.89 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bikaner Chiang Mai 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bikaner
  • 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
Bikaner vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bikaner or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 235% more than Bikaner, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bikaner and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $419 per month in Bikaner and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bikaner or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bikaner, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $59 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Bikaner and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Bikaner and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Bikaner or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 140% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Bikaner or in Chiang Mai?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bikaner, where all-in costs run around $280, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Bikaner it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Bikaner – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Bikaner or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Bikaner. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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