Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ajmer

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajmer: $297 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Ajmer
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Ajmer Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ajmer

🇮🇳 India

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $297 in Ajmer.

Chiang Mai $936
Ajmer $297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $460 in Ajmer.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ajmer $460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $623 in Ajmer.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ajmer $623

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 215% more expensive than in Ajmer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ajmer 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.60 ₹153

40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$8.22 ₹783

131.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.39 ₹228

132.22%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.65 ₹61.7

156.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.35 ₹33.72

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.15 ₹14.33

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.53 ₹146

54.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.44 ₹232

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.64 ₹61.1

204.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.37 ₹35.08

289.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.70 ₹66.2

90.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.79 ₹74.9

188.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.84 ₹461

239.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.13 ₹203

30.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.00 ₹95.6

135.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.45 ₹42.48

115.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.64 ₹61.3

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.50 ₹48.02

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.32 ₹30.69

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.31 ₹29.46

254.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.47 ₹44.91

51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.29 ₹27.51

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.82 ₹364

8.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.65 ₹1,014

64.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.46 ₹139

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.74 ₹166

59.77%

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

$4.47 ₹425

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.31 ₹29.39

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.00 ₹667

672.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.87 ₹82.9

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.14 ₹13.01

278.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.61 ₹248

-7.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.05 ₹99.9

38.10%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

83.93%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$21.0K ₹2.0M

28.41%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$27.79 ₹2,647

123.71%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$2.80 ₹267

334.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.62 ₹726

164.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$17.66 ₹1,682

111.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.42 ₹611

-41.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.34 ₹223

177.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$52.2 ₹4,973

1309.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$1,608 ₹153.1K

818.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$12.03 ₹1,146

343.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$15.89 ₹1,513

55.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$21.19 ₹2,018

331.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$19.55 ₹1,862

267.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$84.3 ₹8,026

472.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$60.4 ₹5,757

411.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$165 ₹15.7K

509.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$127 ₹12.1K

397.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$929 ₹88.5K

154.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$532 ₹50.7K

198.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$409 ₹38.9K

44.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.67

-52.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ajmer: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ajmer

$60 20.4% 80.4% $248

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ajmer

$93 31.3% 60.3% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ajmer

$31 10.4% 71.6% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ajmer

$38 12.9% 59.5% $56

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ajmer

$42 14.3% 45.4% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ajmer

$9.8 3.3% 84% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ajmer

$22 7.5% 55.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $84 in Ajmer. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 44% 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 $8 in Ajmer for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $93 per month, with Ajmer cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Ajmer

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

542,600

💱 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 = 9.42 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.25 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ajmer 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ajmer

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 Ajmer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $297 in Ajmer, so Ajmer is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% 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 $84 in Ajmer. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ajmer runs roughly 87% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $52 in Ajmer. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Ajmer 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 Ajmer gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.