Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bikaner

For one person, living is cheaper in Bikaner: $279 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Bikaner
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Bikaner Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Bikaner

🇮🇳 India

$279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $279 in Bikaner, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Bikaner $279

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $459 in Bikaner, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Bikaner $459

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $639 in Bikaner, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Bikaner $639

Chiang Mai costs about 237% more than Bikaner, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bikaner are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Bikaner 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.5

$3.19 ₹303

-29.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿642

$8.13 ₹773

135.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$3.56 ₹338

57.02%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.7

$1.14 ₹108

50.88%

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

$0.64 ฿21.59

$0.36 ₹34.37

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.20

$0.10 ₹9.77

230.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$1.18 ₹112

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$3.76 ₹357

3.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.8

$0.47 ₹44.27

336.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.80

$0.42 ₹40.00

233.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.98

$0.80 ₹75.7

60.00%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.4

$1.04 ₹98.8

116.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿567

$4.42 ₹420

283.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.8

$3.48 ₹331

-21.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.5

$1.82 ₹173

31.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.99

$0.46 ₹43.79

119.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.0

$0.50 ₹47.79

222.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$0.48 ₹45.49

216.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.99

$0.26 ₹24.68

392.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.30

$0.35 ₹33.64

217.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.14

$0.40 ₹38.30

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.57

$0.30 ₹28.78

73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.93 ₹469

-12.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿594

$6.73 ₹640

163.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.5

$1.58 ₹150

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.5

$2.76 ₹263

3.26%

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

$2.32 ₹220

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.37

$0.90 ₹85.4

-5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,805

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.26

$0.96 ₹91.7

21.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.04

$0.14 ₹13.47

307.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.3

$1.03 ₹97.6

130.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.07 ₹102

35.51%

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

$20.5K ฿685.7K

$14.8K ₹1.4M

38.61%

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

$26.5K ฿887.9K

$26.4K ₹2.5M

0.35%

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

$62.3 ฿2,088

$21.31 ₹2,026

192.49%

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

$12.27 ฿411

$2.78 ₹264

341.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿669

$6.24 ₹593

220.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,270

$12.31 ₹1,170

207.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$3.01 ₹286

122.92%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$45.03 ₹4,280

1670.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿496.7K

$1,187 ₹112.8K

1149.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,783

$22.00 ₹2,091

142.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿839

$12.70 ₹1,207

97.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,068

$25.68 ₹2,441

256.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,460

$14.71 ₹1,398

399.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$56.4 ₹5,363

722.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$29.14 ₹2,770

945.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$156 ₹14.8K

487.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$103 ₹9,782

436.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$244 ₹23.2K

143.51%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Bikaner: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Bikaner

$29 10.5% 90.4% $276

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Bikaner

$97 34.7% 59.3% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Bikaner

$34 12.1% 69.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Bikaner

$30 10.9% 67.9% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Bikaner

$65 23.4% 17.6% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Bikaner

$5.3 * 1.9% 91.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Bikaner

$18 6.6% 64.3% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $56.4 in Bikaner. 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 144% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $8.00 in Bikaner. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $97.0 – making Bikaner the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Bikaner

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

01:55 1:55 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

647,804

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.52 USD

1,000 INR = 9.38 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.49 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 95.05 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bikaner 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bikaner

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 Bikaner: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 237% more than Bikaner, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $418 in Bikaner. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bikaner, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $8.00 in Bikaner. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 146% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bikaner, where all-in costs run around $279, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Bikaner it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bikaner costs $279 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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