Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ahmedabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahmedabad: $525 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Ahmedabad
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Ahmedabad Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ahmedabad

🇮🇳 India

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ahmedabad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $525 in Ahmedabad.

Chiang Mai $936
Ahmedabad $525

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $841 in Ahmedabad.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ahmedabad $841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,158 in Ahmedabad.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ahmedabad $1,158

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 78% more expensive than in Ahmedabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ahmedabad 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.15 ₹490

-56.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$17.03 ₹1,621

11.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.16 ₹396

33.41%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.38 ₹226

-29.83%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.47 ₹44.83

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.19 ₹18.37

63.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.47 ₹330

-31.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.56 ₹530

-34.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.73 ₹69.6

167.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.59 ₹56.2

144.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.64 ₹60.7

107.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.10 ₹105

107.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.18 ₹589

166.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.21 ₹401

-33.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.15 ₹205

9.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.63 ₹59.7

53.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.17 ₹111

36.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.47 ₹44.87

219.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.31 ₹29.23

312.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.35 ₹33.58

214.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.55 ₹52.8

29.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.28 ₹26.59

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.99 ₹475

-17.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.21 ₹781

113.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.95 ₹186

-17.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.36 ₹320

-17.26%

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

$6.18 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.25 ₹23.92

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$10.32 ₹982

424.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.07 ₹102

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.27 ₹25.89

96.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.06 ₹196

17.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.11 ₹106

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

85.22%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.2K ₹2.2M

16.07%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$43.53 ₹4,145

42.82%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.89 ₹370

212.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$11.50 ₹1,095

74.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$22.09 ₹2,103

68.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.16 ₹777

-53.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.98 ₹379

63.07%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$52.5 ₹5,003

1301.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,408 ₹134.1K

948.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$25.95 ₹2,471

105.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$27.41 ₹2,610

-10.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$49.06 ₹4,671

86.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$27.65 ₹2,633

160.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$186 ₹17.7K

158.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$129 ₹12.3K

139.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$435 ₹41.5K

131.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$297 ₹28.2K

113.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$869 ₹82.7K

171.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$559 ₹53.2K

184.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$530 ₹50.4K

11.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.86

-37.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ahmedabad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ahmedabad

$129 24.6% 58.3% $180

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ahmedabad

$121 23.1% 48.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ahmedabad

$59 11.2% 46.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ahmedabad

$59 11.2% 37.6% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ahmedabad

$113 21.6% 46.1% $36

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ahmedabad

$14 2.6% 77.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ahmedabad

$30 5.7% 40.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $186 in Ahmedabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 11% 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: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $17 in Ahmedabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $121 per month, with Ahmedabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Ahmedabad

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

02:53 2:53 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,352,254

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ahmedabad 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ahmedabad

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 Ahmedabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $525 in Ahmedabad, so Ahmedabad is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $186 in Ahmedabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $53 in Ahmedabad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Ahmedabad gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Ahmedabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.