Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bhiwadi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhiwadi: $267 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
13

Cost of Living Index in Bhiwadi
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Bhiwadi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bhiwadi

🇮🇳 India

$267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $267 in Bhiwadi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bhiwadi $267

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $429 in Bhiwadi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bhiwadi $429

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $592 in Bhiwadi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bhiwadi $592

Chiang Mai costs about 251% more than Bhiwadi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bhiwadi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bhiwadi 80% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.02 ₹97.3

119.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$10.37 ₹987

83.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.69 ₹352

50.41%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.95 ₹185

-14.36%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.31 ₹29.49

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.12 ₹11.42

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.25 ₹119

88.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.61 ₹249

40.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.67 ₹63.6

191.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.52 ₹49.55

176.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.74 ₹70.5

79.73%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.94 ₹89.6

142.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$2.57 ₹245

540.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.13 ₹203

30.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.29 ₹123

82.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.56 ₹52.9

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.88 ₹83.7

81.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.60 ₹57.1

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.20 ₹19.02

540.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.27 ₹25.73

307.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.83 ₹79.0

-14.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.30 ₹28.57

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.12 ₹487

-19.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.54 ₹718

132.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.36 ₹130

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.70 ₹257

2.96%

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

$7.21 ₹686

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.20 ₹19.02

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.33 ₹31.66

251.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.20 ₹19.04

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.23 ₹117

96.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.11 ₹106

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

85.37%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$19.3K ₹1.8M

39.90%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$33.85 ₹3,223

83.66%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.45 ₹329

252.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$6.33 ₹603

217.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$5.20 ₹495

617.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.57 ₹245

152.53%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$34.91 ₹3,324

2008.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,036 ₹98.6K

1325.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$15.78 ₹1,503

238.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$19.82 ₹1,888

24.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$15.55 ₹1,481

488.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$27.71 ₹2,638

159.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$52.6 ₹5,007

817.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$30.96 ₹2,948

897.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$135 ₹12.8K

646.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$94.8 ₹9,027

568.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$387 ₹36.9K

510.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$674 ₹64.2K

-12.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.33

-33.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bhiwadi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bhiwadi

$31 11.6% 90% $278

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bhiwadi

$89 33.2% 62.2% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bhiwadi

$35 13.3% 67.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bhiwadi

$44 16.4% 53.8% $51

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bhiwadi

$56 20.9% 28.1% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bhiwadi

$2.1 * 0.8% 96.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bhiwadi

$10 3.9% 79.5% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $53 in Bhiwadi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Bhiwadi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $10 in Bhiwadi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $89 – making Bhiwadi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Bhiwadi

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

104,900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bhiwadi 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bhiwadi

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 Bhiwadi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 251%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $400 in Bhiwadi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bhiwadi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $53 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $10 in Bhiwadi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 165% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Bhiwadi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.