Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bokaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Bokaro: $356 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Bokaro
Learn more

Bokaro Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bokaro

🇮🇳 India

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $356 in Bokaro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bokaro $356

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $549 in Bokaro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bokaro $549

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $742 in Bokaro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bokaro $742

Chiang Mai costs about 163% more than Bokaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bokaro are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bokaro 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.16 ₹205

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$9.35 ₹888

103.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.16 ₹300

75.63%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.59 ₹151

5.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.38 ₹36.47

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.12 ₹11.69

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.55 ₹147

52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.89 ₹559

-37.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.53 ₹50.1

267.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.20 ₹18.96

620.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.52 ₹49.64

155.77%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.73 ₹69.3

212.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.59 ₹626

149.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.60 ₹152

73.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.37 ₹130

71.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.68 ₹65.0

42.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.97 ₹92.1

64.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.41 ₹39.00

265.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.33 ₹31.32

287.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.48 ₹45.60

129.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.47 ₹44.40

51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.27 ₹25.47

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.07 ₹481

-18.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.43 ₹611

172.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.07 ₹102

50.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.09 ₹198

33.01%

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

$5.15 ₹489

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.22 ₹20.70

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.15 ₹679

656.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.02 ₹96.9

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.20 ₹19.30

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.07 ₹196

16.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.14 ₹108

27.19%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

85.03%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$21.3K ₹2.0M

26.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$41.88 ₹3,977

48.45%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.98 ₹283

308.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.54 ₹621

207.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$7.80 ₹740

378.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.15 ₹679

-47.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.39 ₹322

91.45%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$52.1 ₹4,949

1312.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,673 ₹158.8K

782.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$18.17 ₹1,726

193.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$29.23 ₹2,775

-15.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$38.54 ₹3,660

137.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$21.28 ₹2,021

238.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$118 ₹11.3K

307.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$78.3 ₹7,435

294.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$265 ₹25.2K

279.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$158 ₹15.0K

301.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$939 ₹89.1K

151.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$530 ₹50.4K

199.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$621 ₹59.0K

-5.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bokaro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bokaro

$78 22% 74.7% $231

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bokaro

$86 24.3% 63.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bokaro

$48 13.5% 55.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bokaro

$51 14.4% 45.6% $43

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bokaro

$67 18.9% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bokaro

$10 2.8% 83.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bokaro

$15 4.1% 71% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $118 in Bokaro. 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 5% higher in Bokaro, 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 $9 in Bokaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $86 – making Bokaro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Bokaro

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

564,319

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 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 Bokaro 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bokaro

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 Bokaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $356 in Bokaro – Bokaro comes out roughly 62% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $535 in Bokaro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bokaro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $9 in Bokaro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $356 in Bokaro. That makes Bokaro about 62% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $356 in Bokaro, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Bokaro is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.