Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bellary

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellary: $359 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Bellary
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Bellary Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bellary

🇮🇳 India

$359

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $359 in Bellary.

Chiang Mai $936
Bellary $359

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $598 in Bellary.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bellary $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $837 in Bellary.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bellary $837

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 160% more expensive than in Bellary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bellary 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$0.61 ₹58.5

267.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$18.11 ₹1,724

4.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$1.54 ₹147

260.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.33 ₹222

-28.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.20 ₹19.03

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.10 ₹9.33

210.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.74 ₹166

35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.99 ₹189

83.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.58 ₹55.1

236.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.49 ₹46.18

193.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.59 ₹56.2

125.42%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.82 ₹77.9

178.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.23 ₹593

164.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.86 ₹367

-27.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.14 ₹203

9.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.56 ₹52.9

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.19 ₹113

34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.38 ₹36.28

294.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.38 ₹36.42

236.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.36 ₹34.64

205.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.43 ₹40.50

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.30 ₹28.55

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.08 ₹294

34.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.98 ₹855

95.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.28 ₹122

25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.00 ₹285

-7.33%

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

$6.55 ₹624

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.21 ₹20.30

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$7.08 ₹674

663.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.06 ₹101

9.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.14 ₹13.56

278.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.07 ₹197

16.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.06 ₹101

36.79%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

85.03%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$19.2K ₹1.8M

40.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$30.74 ₹2,927

102.24%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.08 ₹293

295.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$9.29 ₹885

116.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$14.49 ₹1,380

157.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.66 ₹634

-43.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.62 ₹249

147.71%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$105 ₹10.0K

598.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,405 ₹133.8K

950.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$7.53 ₹717

608.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$30.37 ₹2,891

-18.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$26.08 ₹2,483

250.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$40.26 ₹3,833

78.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$122 ₹11.6K

294.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$76.0 ₹7,236

306.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$270 ₹25.7K

273.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$188 ₹17.9K

237.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$840 ₹79.9K

181.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$569 ₹54.2K

179.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$473 ₹45.0K

24.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.47

-34.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bellary: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bellary

$76 21.2% 75.4% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bellary

$112 31.3% 52% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bellary

$47 13.1% 56.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bellary

$43 12% 54.4% $51

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bellary

$51 14.3% 33.8% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bellary

$9.7 2.7% 84.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bellary

$20 5.5% 60.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $122 in Bellary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 25% 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 in Chiang Mai vs $18 in Bellary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $112 per month, with Bellary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Bellary

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

475,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bellary 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bellary

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 Bellary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellary wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellary the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $122 in Bellary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $105 in Bellary. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $359 in Bellary versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Bellary but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bellary the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Bellary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.