Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bahawalpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahawalpur: $290 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Bahawalpur
Learn more

Bahawalpur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Bahawalpur

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $290 in Bahawalpur.

Chiang Mai $938
Bahawalpur $290

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $504 in Bahawalpur.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Bahawalpur $504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $717 in Bahawalpur.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Bahawalpur $717

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 224% more expensive than in Bahawalpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Bahawalpur 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$1.80 PKR 498

25.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$7.39 PKR 2,047

159.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.54 PKR 1,256

23.13%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PKR 719

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 PKR 609

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.51 PKR 417

13.91%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.31 PKR 84.6

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.21 PKR 58.0

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.55 PKR 151

272.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.56 PKR 154

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.02 PKR 283

25.49%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$0.89 PKR 247

152.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$5.34 PKR 1,477

217.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.60 PKR 719

5.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$4.17 PKR 1,155

124.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.06 PKR 292

126.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.52 PKR 144

94.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.56 PKR 156

187.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.53 PKR 146

186.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.30 PKR 84.3

326.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.47 PKR 130

136.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.62 PKR 172

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.37 PKR 103

40.54%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 155

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 PKR 145

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PKR 193

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.41 PKR 389

207.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.09 PKR 302

7.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.10 PKR 304

-48.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.86 PKR 791

-17.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.20 PKR 333

20.83%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$23.8K PKR 6.6M

-13.88%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$21.6K PKR 6.0M

22.54%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$68.0 PKR 18.8K

-8.31%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$4.60 PKR 1,274

166.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$11.58 PKR 3,206

72.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$10.67 PKR 2,953

-64.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.09 PKR 1,963

-5.36%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$23.83 PKR 6,596

3244.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$646 PKR 178.7K

2196.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$16.54 PKR 4,578

221.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$21.85 PKR 6,047

14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$53.5 PKR 14.8K

71.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$29.37 PKR 8,127

150.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$252 PKR 69.8K

262.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$126 PKR 34.8K

339.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$3,483 PKR 964.1K

-45.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$758 PKR 209.8K

89.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$138 PKR 38.1K

331.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.83

-52.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bahawalpur: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Bahawalpur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Bahawalpur

$82 28.4% 65.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Bahawalpur

$55 18.8% 50.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Bahawalpur

$84 29% 11% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Bahawalpur

$48 16.6% 39% $31

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Bahawalpur

$6.6 * 2.3% 89.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Bahawalpur

$14 * 4.9% 72.4% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Chiang Mai pays 332% 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: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $7.00 in Bahawalpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $82.0 per month, with Bahawalpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Bahawalpur

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

762,111

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bahawalpur 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bahawalpur

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 Bahawalpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bahawalpur wins on cost – living expenses run 224% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bahawalpur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 332% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 189% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Chiang Mai versus $290 in Bahawalpur – a 224% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $290 in Bahawalpur versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bahawalpur but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bahawalpur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bahawalpur delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $290 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bahawalpur hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bahawalpur are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bahawalpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 224% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.