Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bhubaneswar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhubaneswar: $395 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Bhubaneswar
Learn more

Bhubaneswar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bhubaneswar

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $395 in Bhubaneswar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bhubaneswar $395

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $626 in Bhubaneswar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bhubaneswar $626

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $858 in Bhubaneswar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bhubaneswar $858

Chiang Mai costs about 137% more than Bhubaneswar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bhubaneswar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bhubaneswar 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.15 ₹205

4.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$10.31 ₹982

84.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.15 ₹395

33.73%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.44 ₹137

15.97%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.40 ₹38.29

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.15 ₹13.99

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.62 ₹155

45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.14 ₹299

16.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.60 ₹56.9

225.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.48 ₹46.12

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.56 ₹53.7

137.50%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.90 ₹85.6

153.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$3.27 ₹311

403.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.60 ₹248

6.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.05 ₹195

14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.74 ₹70.0

31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.34 ₹127

19.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.45 ₹42.81

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.30 ₹28.69

326.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.38 ₹36.64

189.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.52 ₹49.79

36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.30 ₹28.32

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.91 ₹468

-15.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.09 ₹770

116.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.86 ₹177

-13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.44 ₹232

13.93%

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

$6.71 ₹639

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.40 ₹38.03

117.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$8.61 ₹820

528.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.02 ₹97.6

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.22 ₹20.97

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.08 ₹198

16.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.13 ₹107

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

86.21%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$21.2K ₹2.0M

26.92%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$39.12 ₹3,725

58.92%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.29 ₹313

269.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$6.84 ₹651

194.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$14.93 ₹1,421

149.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.54 ₹813

-55.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.12 ₹297

108.01%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$78.2 ₹7,449

840.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$2,270 ₹216.1K

550.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$23.28 ₹2,216

129.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$25.36 ₹2,414

-2.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$47.61 ₹4,533

92.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$31.56 ₹3,005

127.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$137 ₹13.0K

253.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$91.4 ₹8,702

237.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$323 ₹30.7K

211.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$215 ₹20.5K

194.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,123 ₹106.9K

110.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$563 ₹53.6K

182.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$367 ₹35.0K

60.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.17

-39.26%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bhubaneswar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bhubaneswar

$91 23.2% 70.4% $218

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bhubaneswar

$99 25.2% 57.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bhubaneswar

$58 14.6% 47.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bhubaneswar

$49 12.5% 47.9% $45

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bhubaneswar

$64 16.1% 18.1% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bhubaneswar

$12 3.1% 79.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bhubaneswar

$21 5.4% 57.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $137 in Bhubaneswar. 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 61% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $10 in Bhubaneswar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $99 – making Bhubaneswar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Bhubaneswar

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

13:52 1:52 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 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 = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 = 9.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bhubaneswar 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bhubaneswar

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 Bhubaneswar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 137% more than Bhubaneswar, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $592 in Bhubaneswar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bhubaneswar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 136% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bhubaneswar, where all-in costs run around $395, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Bhubaneswar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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