Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Akola

For one person, living is cheaper in Akola: $364 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Akola
Learn more

Akola Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Akola

🇮🇳 India

$364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $364 in Akola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Akola $364

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $572 in Akola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Akola $572

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $780 in Akola, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Akola $780

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Akola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Akola are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Akola 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$0.94 ₹89.4

138.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$6.37 ₹605

198.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.08 ₹292

80.19%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.38 ₹131

21.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.37 ₹35.35

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.13 ₹11.87

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.95 ₹185

21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.73 ₹259

34.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.63 ₹59.7

209.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.45 ₹42.76

220.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.54 ₹51.7

146.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.73 ₹68.9

212.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.00 ₹474

229.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.15 ₹204

29.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.75 ₹167

34.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.56 ₹52.9

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.94 ₹89.1

70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.47 ₹45.08

219.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.36 ₹33.81

255.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.34 ₹31.85

223.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.55 ₹52.5

29.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.28 ₹26.42

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.09 ₹198

98.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.08 ₹387

329.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.87 ₹178

-13.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.16 ₹299

-12.03%

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

$2.06 ₹195

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.25 ₹23.66

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.05 ₹669

667.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.55 ₹52.3

110.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.33 ₹31.59

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.03 ₹97.4

134.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.14 ₹108

27.19%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

88.46%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$17.0K ₹1.6M

58.57%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$36.16 ₹3,432

71.93%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$4.08 ₹388

198.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$8.34 ₹791

141.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$14.13 ₹1,340

164.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.42 ₹609

-41.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.12 ₹201

206.13%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$39.45 ₹3,744

1766.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$1,785 ₹169.4K

727.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$23.67 ₹2,247

125.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.15 ₹3,525

-33.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$54.5 ₹5,170

67.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$35.53 ₹3,372

102.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$122 ₹11.6K

294.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$77.2 ₹7,330

299.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$267 ₹25.3K

277.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$189 ₹17.9K

234.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$932 ₹88.4K

153.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$526 ₹49.9K

202.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$316 ₹30.0K

86.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.7

-42.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Akola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Akola

$77 21.2% 75% $232

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Akola

$91 25% 61.2% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Akola

$68 18.7% 37.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Akola

$49 13.4% 48.6% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Akola

$50 13.9% 35% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Akola

$10 2.8% 83.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Akola

$18 5.1% 63.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $122 in Akola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 87% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $6 in Akola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $91 – making Akola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Akola

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

425,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.9 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Akola 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Akola

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 Akola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 157%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $546 in Akola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Akola, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $364 in Akola. That makes Akola about 61% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Akola. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Akola – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Akola. 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.