Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bahawalnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahawalnagar: $509 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bahawalnagar
Learn more

Bahawalnagar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bahawalnagar

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $509 in Bahawalnagar.

Chiang Mai $935
Bahawalnagar $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $765 in Bahawalnagar.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bahawalnagar $765

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,022 in Bahawalnagar.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bahawalnagar $1,022

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 84% more expensive than in Bahawalnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bahawalnagar 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$2.54 PKR 703

-16.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$14.66 PKR 4,052

27.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.84 PKR 1,613

-4.11%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 PKR 1,027

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 PKR 1,466

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.62 PKR 724

-36.64%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.40 PKR 111

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.24 PKR 65.9

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.92 PKR 254

119.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.73 PKR 201

93.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.24 PKR 342

12.10%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.20 PKR 331

97.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$6.34 PKR 1,753

160.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$2.54 PKR 703

5.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$4.76 PKR 1,316

89.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.24 PKR 342

93.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.69 PKR 192

50.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.88 PKR 244

88.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.63 PKR 175

147.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.29 PKR 79.4

327.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.38 PKR 106

186.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.45 PKR 124

68.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.38 PKR 104

34.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.10 PKR 304

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 PKR 166

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 PKR 480

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.19 PKR 606

88.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.17 PKR 47.68

447.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$10.07 PKR 2,783

425.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$0.88 PKR 243

34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.70 PKR 193

-75.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.80 PKR 496

0.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.34 PKR 371

9.70%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$17.9K PKR 4.9M

17.48%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$24.1K PKR 6.7M

9.82%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$126 PKR 34.9K

-50.41%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$5.43 PKR 1,500

113.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$16.59 PKR 4,586

22.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$14.93 PKR 4,127

153.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$8.32 PKR 2,299

-55.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$4.23 PKR 1,170

53.90%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$74.8 PKR 20.7K

871.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$2,060 PKR 569.2K

704.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$18.08 PKR 4,996

196.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$27.39 PKR 7,569

-9.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$74.9 PKR 20.7K

20.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$32.66 PKR 9,027

120.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$137 PKR 37.8K

252.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$84.0 PKR 23.2K

268.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$270 PKR 74.6K

292.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$179 PKR 49.6K

267.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$816 PKR 225.6K

196.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$504 PKR 139.2K

219.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.05

-60.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bahawalnagar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bahawalnagar

$84 16.5% 72.9% $226

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bahawalnagar

$97 19.1% 58.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bahawalnagar

$69 13.5% 36.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bahawalnagar

$148 29.1% 56.9% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bahawalnagar

$72 14.1% 6.2% $4.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bahawalnagar

$15 3% 74.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bahawalnagar

$23 4.6% 54% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $137 in Bahawalnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $15 in Bahawalnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $97 per month, with Bahawalnagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Bahawalnagar

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

22:21 10:21 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

161,033

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bahawalnagar 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bahawalnagar

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 Bahawalnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bahawalnagar is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $763 in Bahawalnagar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $137 in Bahawalnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bahawalnagar runs roughly 81% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $75 in Bahawalnagar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bahawalnagar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bahawalnagar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.