Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Anantapur

For one person, living is cheaper in Anantapur: $372 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Anantapur, India
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Anantapur
🇮🇳 India
$372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $372 in Anantapur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Anantapur $372

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $556 in Anantapur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Anantapur $556

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $740 in Anantapur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Anantapur $740

Chiang Mai costs about 151% more than Anantapur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$1.19 ₹113
88.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$6.29 ₹597
202.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$3.75 ₹356
48.00%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$0.54 ₹51.5
209.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.53
$0.38 ₹36.47
68.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.30
$0.12 ₹10.98
158.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$1.79 ₹170
31.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.06 ₹195
77.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$0.51 ₹48.64
282.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.45
$0.49 ₹46.75
193.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.01
$0.66 ₹63.1
101.52%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.0
$0.85 ₹81.1
168.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$7.96 ₹755
106.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.8
$2.79 ₹265
-0.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$2.10 ₹199
11.90%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.78
$0.74 ₹70.4
31.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$0.90 ₹85.7
77.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$0.41 ₹39.16
265.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.10
$0.38 ₹36.25
236.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.17
$0.46 ₹43.95
139.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.81
$0.38 ₹36.53
86.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.25 ₹23.45
96.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$3.64 ₹346
13.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$4.41 ₹419
297.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.60 ₹152
0.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$2.96 ₹281
-6.08%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$7.04 ₹669
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$0.21 ₹19.89
314.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
$15.58 ₹1,478
247.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.03
$0.38 ₹35.88
205.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.79
$0.54 ₹51.6
-1.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$1.07 ₹101
126.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.87
$1.07 ₹101
35.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.3K
$11.4K ₹1.1M
84.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿908.7K
$10.3K ₹980.0K
160.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,097
$25.89 ₹2,457
140.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿410
$3.53 ₹335
244.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$4.67 ₹443
330.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$19.97 ₹1,895
86.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$6.48 ₹615
-41.82%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$2.88 ₹273
125.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$52.7 ₹5,004
1296.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.0K
$1,143 ₹108.5K
1191.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,800
$16.03 ₹1,521
232.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$10.69 ₹1,015
130.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,086
$29.51 ₹2,800
210.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,426
$26.38 ₹2,503
172.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$145 ₹13.7K
233.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$110 ₹10.4K
181.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$406 ₹38.6K
147.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$183 ₹17.4K
246.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
$924 ₹87.6K
155.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$534 ₹50.7K
197.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Anantapur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$378 ₹35.9K
55.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
10
-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Anantapur: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Anantapur
$110 64.5% $199
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Anantapur
$104 55.7% $130
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Anantapur
$37 65.8% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Anantapur
$34 63.9% $60
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Anantapur
$42 45.4% $35
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Anantapur
$20 68.2% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Anantapur
$26 48.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $145 in Anantapur. 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 56% 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 Anantapur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $104 – making Anantapur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇮🇳 Anantapur
🕒 Local time
03:16 3:16 AM
01:46 1:46 AM
1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
267,161
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 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 = 9.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Anantapur 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Anantapur

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 Anantapur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Anantapur cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 151%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $559 in Anantapur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Anantapur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $145 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
Is eating out cheaper in Chiang Mai or in Anantapur?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $6 in Anantapur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Chiang Mai and in Anantapur?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $372 in Anantapur. That makes Anantapur about 60% cheaper.
Is Chiang Mai or Anantapur more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Anantapur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Anantapur. 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.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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