Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Agartala

For one person, living is cheaper in Agartala: $369 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Agartala
Learn more

Agartala Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Agartala

🇮🇳 India

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Agartala

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Agartala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai versus $369 in Agartala.

Chiang Mai $925
Agartala $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Chiang Mai versus $573 in Agartala.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Agartala $573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chiang Mai versus $776 in Agartala.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Agartala $776

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 150% more expensive than in Agartala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 32% lower, Agartala 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.43 ₹231

-5.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$6.24 ₹592

214.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.23 ₹497

7.27%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.68 ₹159

-1.19%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.49 ₹46.56

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.14 ₹12.94

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.54 ₹146

56.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.08 ₹292

20.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.79 ₹74.6

146.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.50 ₹47.35

182.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.58 ₹55.4

125.86%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.00 ₹94.8

118.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$5.53 ₹525

201.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.88 ₹273

-4.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.61 ₹248

-8.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.35 ₹128

-23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.49 ₹142

9.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.75 ₹71.5

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.32 ₹30.79

303.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.41 ₹38.54

170.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.47 ₹44.63

53.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.27 ₹25.69

96.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.20 ₹303

34.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.43 ₹706

141.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.41 ₹134

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.67 ₹158

70.06%

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

$4.87 ₹462

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.22 ₹20.93

290.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$7.59 ₹721

601.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.88 ₹83.3

37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.33 ₹31.71

72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.62 ₹154

45.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.13 ₹108

27.43%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

85.99%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$19.8K ₹1.9M

35.27%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$43.15 ₹4,098

44.45%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$2.77 ₹263

337.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$8.09 ₹769

146.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$9.27 ₹880

299.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$6.39 ₹607

-40.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.14 ₹203

203.74%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$35.76 ₹3,396

2116.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$485 ₹46.1K

2950.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$22.84 ₹2,169

135.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$22.22 ₹2,110

10.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$36.46 ₹3,463

149.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$22.91 ₹2,175

210.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$79.6 ₹7,555

472.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$58.9 ₹5,596

405.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$212 ₹20.1K

328.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$138 ₹13.1K

300.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$742 ₹70.5K

160.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$532 ₹50.5K

171.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$419 ₹39.8K

41.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.25

-23.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Agartala: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Agartala

$59 16% 80.2% $239

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Agartala

$113 30.7% 51.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Agartala

$47 12.7% 56.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Agartala

$54 14.6% 42.8% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Agartala

$72 19.4% 8.8% $6.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Agartala

$11 3% 81.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Agartala

$14 3.7% 73% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $455 in Chiang Mai and $79.6 in Agartala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 41% 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: $20.00 in Chiang Mai vs $6.00 in Agartala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $113 per month, with Agartala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Agartala

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

400,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Agartala 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Agartala

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

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

Agartala wins on cost – living expenses run 150% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Agartala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $455 in Chiang Mai versus $79.6 in Agartala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Agartala – a meal for two runs $6.00 versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $369 in Agartala versus $925 in Chiang Mai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Agartala but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Agartala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Agartala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $369 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Agartala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Agartala 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 Agartala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 150% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.