Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bhilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhilai: $329 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Bhilai
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Bhilai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Bhilai

🇮🇳 India

$329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai versus $329 in Bhilai.

Chiang Mai $925
Bhilai $329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Chiang Mai versus $562 in Bhilai.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Bhilai $562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chiang Mai versus $794 in Bhilai.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Bhilai $794

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 181% more expensive than in Bhilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 32% lower, Bhilai 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.56 ₹243

-10.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$8.75 ₹831

124.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$3.21 ₹305

74.77%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.94 ₹184

-14.43%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.32 ₹30.46

118.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.20 ₹18.82

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.55 ₹147

55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.95 ₹280

25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.56 ₹53.1

248.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.39 ₹36.71

261.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.64 ₹61.1

104.69%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.95 ₹89.8

129.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$4.25 ₹404

291.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.79 ₹265

-1.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.35 ₹223

1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.53 ₹50.4

94.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.93 ₹88.0

75.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.48 ₹45.73

212.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.38 ₹36.32

239.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.44 ₹41.73

152.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.25 ₹23.58

188.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.29 ₹27.48

82.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.11 ₹485

-15.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$4.72 ₹448

280.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.69 ₹160

-6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.77 ₹263

2.53%

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

$3.73 ₹354

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.38 ₹36.43

126.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$6.67 ₹634

698.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.04 ₹98.7

16.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.22 ₹20.91

159.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.80 ₹171

30.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.07 ₹102

34.58%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

85.99%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$18.6K ₹1.8M

44.09%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$32.10 ₹3,048

94.17%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$3.24 ₹308

273.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$4.78 ₹454

317.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$6.76 ₹642

448.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$3.21 ₹305

17.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$3.39 ₹322

91.74%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$81.2 ₹7,709

876.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,061 ₹100.8K

1295.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$23.83 ₹2,263

125.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$29.50 ₹2,802

-16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$24.14 ₹2,292

276.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$24.16 ₹2,294

194.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$74.7 ₹7,097

509.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$57.2 ₹5,428

421.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$263 ₹25.0K

245.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$212 ₹20.1K

161.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$671 ₹63.7K

-11.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.82

-36.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bhilai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Bhilai

$57 17.4% 80.8% $241

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Bhilai

$93 28.4% 60.3% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Bhilai

$46 13.9% 57.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Bhilai

$40 12.2% 57.5% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Bhilai

$69 21% 12.1% $9.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bhilai

$10 3.1% 83% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bhilai

$14 4.1% 72.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $455 in Chiang Mai and $74.7 in Bhilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhilai pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Chiang Mai vs $9.00 in Bhilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $93.0 per month, with Bhilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Bhilai

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

627,734

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bhilai 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bhilai

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 Bhilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Bhilai differ by about 181% in total monthly costs ($925 vs $329 including rent). Bhilai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Bhilai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $455 in Chiang Mai versus $74.7 in Bhilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $793 in Chiang Mai versus $81.2 in Bhilai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 152% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $329 in Bhilai versus $925 in Chiang Mai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bhilai but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bhilai 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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bhilai 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 Bhilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 181% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.