Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Balaghat

For one person, living is cheaper in Balaghat: $361 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Balaghat
Learn more

Balaghat Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Balaghat

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $361 in Balaghat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Balaghat $361

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $574 in Balaghat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Balaghat $574

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $786 in Balaghat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Balaghat $786

Chiang Mai costs about 156% more than Balaghat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Balaghat are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Balaghat 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.12 ₹201

8.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$10.28 ₹976

91.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$3.60 ₹342

55.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.60 ₹152

3.75%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.40 ₹37.86

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.15 ₹14.52

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.80 ₹171

33.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.95 ₹280

25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.62 ₹58.7

214.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.47 ₹44.80

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.65 ₹61.9

101.54%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.90 ₹85.8

142.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$4.56 ₹433

265.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.74 ₹260

0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.90 ₹180

25.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.67 ₹63.6

53.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.96 ₹90.7

69.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.45 ₹42.43

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.35 ₹32.89

268.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.37 ₹34.74

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.46 ₹44.13

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.29 ₹27.49

82.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.16 ₹490

-16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.43 ₹706

141.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.65 ₹157

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.68 ₹255

5.97%

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

$4.87 ₹462

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.25 ₹23.66

244.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$7.38 ₹701

621.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.87 ₹82.7

39.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.27 ₹25.64

111.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.53 ₹145

53.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.10 ₹105

30.91%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

65.51%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$19.9K ₹1.9M

34.40%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$34.20 ₹3,248

82.25%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$3.35 ₹319

261.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$6.65 ₹631

199.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$13.95 ₹1,324

165.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$6.39 ₹607

-40.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.95 ₹280

120.34%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$47.17 ₹4,479

1580.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,392 ₹132.2K

963.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$21.77 ₹2,067

146.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$23.95 ₹2,274

2.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$38.85 ₹3,689

133.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$28.33 ₹2,691

151.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$121 ₹11.4K

277.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$72.3 ₹6,867

311.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$264 ₹25.1K

244.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$169 ₹16.0K

228.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$962 ₹91.4K

100.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$527 ₹50.0K

174.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.86

-37.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Balaghat: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Balaghat

$72 20% 75.7% $226

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Balaghat

$100 27.6% 57.7% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Balaghat

$51 14.1% 53% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Balaghat

$44 12.2% 53.2% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Balaghat

$64 17.7% 18.5% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Balaghat

$11 2.9% 82.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Balaghat

$20 5.5% 60.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Balaghat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $10.00 in Balaghat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $100 – making Balaghat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Balaghat

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

84,261

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Balaghat 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Balaghat

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 Balaghat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 156% more than Balaghat, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $542 in Balaghat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balaghat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $47.17 in Balaghat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 136% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Balaghat, where all-in costs run around $361, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Balaghat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Balaghat costs $361 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Balaghat. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.