Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Biaora

For one person, living is cheaper in Biaora: $365 a month against $935 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 Biaora
Learn more

Biaora Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Biaora

🇮🇳 India

$365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $365 in Biaora, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Biaora $365

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $600 in Biaora, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Biaora $600

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $835 in Biaora, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Biaora $835

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

Both Chiang Mai and Biaora are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Biaora 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$2.06 ₹195

3.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$15.58 ₹1,474

19.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$3.09 ₹293

81.23%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.41 ₹133

17.73%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.41 ₹38.39

58.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.19 ₹17.54

57.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.92 ₹182

20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.22 ₹305

13.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$0.40 ₹37.83

405.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.45 ₹42.67

213.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.62 ₹59.0

124.19%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$0.84 ₹79.5

182.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$5.01 ₹474

229.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$2.57 ₹243

3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.04 ₹98.3

130.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.33 ₹31.68

215.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$0.82 ₹77.7

102.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.22 ₹20.82

609.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.18 ₹17.26

588.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.22 ₹20.83

395.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.54 ₹51.2

40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.22 ₹20.85

131.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.71 ₹161

140.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$7.46 ₹706

140.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.23 ₹116

31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$3.26 ₹309

-13.50%

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

$4.95 ₹468

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.23 ₹21.85

304.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$7.14 ₹675

640.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.22 ₹20.86

436.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.20 ₹18.90

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.03 ₹97.0

75.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.10 ₹104

33.64%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

88.42%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$17.1K ₹1.6M

55.18%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$31.94 ₹3,023

95.87%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$3.91 ₹370

196.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$6.27 ₹593

223.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$14.19 ₹1,343

166.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$6.67 ₹632

-44.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$3.82 ₹361

70.42%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$38.76 ₹3,668

1775.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$1,792 ₹169.6K

825.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$23.60 ₹2,234

126.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$38.52 ₹3,646

-35.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$53.9 ₹5,101

67.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$35.82 ₹3,390

100.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$122 ₹11.6K

293.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$75.5 ₹7,144

310.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$262 ₹24.8K

303.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$187 ₹17.7K

251.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$919 ₹87.0K

163.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$541 ₹51.2K

197.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$157 ₹14.9K

278.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.7

-42.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Biaora: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Biaora

$75 20.7% 75.6% $234

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Biaora

$87 23.9% 63.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Biaora

$68 18.7% 36.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Biaora

$42 11.5% 55.4% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Biaora

$61 16.7% 20.2% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Biaora

$9.3 2.5% 84.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Biaora

$22 6% 57.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $122 in Biaora. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Biaora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $87 – making Biaora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Biaora

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

49,093

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.57 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.64 INR (100 INR = 1.06 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 Biaora 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Biaora

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 Biaora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 156% more than Biaora, 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 $548 in Biaora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Biaora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $39 in Biaora. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 171% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Biaora, where all-in costs run around $365, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Biaora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Biaora – 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 Biaora. 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.