Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Budaun

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaun: $360 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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 Budaun
Learn more

Budaun Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Budaun

🇮🇳 India

$360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $360 in Budaun.

Chiang Mai $938
Budaun $360

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $598 in Budaun.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Budaun $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $836 in Budaun.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Budaun $836

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 160% more expensive than in Budaun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Budaun 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.60 ₹342

-37.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$20.73 ₹1,969

-7.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$2.67 ₹253

109.36%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$0.54 ₹51.2

218.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.35 ₹33.18

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.15 ₹14.19

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.87 ₹178

26.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.56 ₹148

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.65 ₹62.2

215.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.30 ₹28.24

366.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.54 ₹51.6

137.04%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$0.62 ₹58.7

262.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$4.56 ₹433

271.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.11 ₹200

29.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.08 ₹103

122.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.43 ₹41.23

134.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.51 ₹48.32

215.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.40 ₹38.06

280.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.28 ₹26.39

357.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.30 ₹28.23

270.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.10 ₹9.24

620.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.31 ₹29.66

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.25 ₹214

92.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$2.56 ₹243

592.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.22 ₹116

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.05 ₹195

39.02%

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

$3.17 ₹301

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.24 ₹22.84

254.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$7.79 ₹740

591.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.03 ₹98.1

13.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.11 ₹10.60

418.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.54 ₹146

53.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.02 ₹97.2

42.16%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$5,173 ₹491.3K

295.77%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$18.4K ₹1.7M

44.06%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$42.17 ₹4,004

47.81%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$3.95 ₹375

210.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$6.95 ₹660

187.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$15.61 ₹1,482

142.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$6.20 ₹589

-39.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.26 ₹500

27.57%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$104 ₹9,837

669.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$2,209 ₹209.8K

571.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$24.23 ₹2,301

119.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$28.78 ₹2,733

-12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$53.0 ₹5,028

73.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$44.22 ₹4,199

66.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$121 ₹11.5K

284.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$74.2 ₹7,050

310.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$264 ₹25.1K

246.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$174 ₹16.5K

218.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$953 ₹90.5K

100.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$553 ₹52.5K

159.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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 13, 2026

Last update for Budaun: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Budaun

$74 20.6% 75.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Budaun

$71 19.8% 70% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Budaun

$68 18.8% 38.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Budaun

$53 14.7% 43.9% $42

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Budaun

$58 16% 27% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Budaun

$10 2.9% 83.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Budaun

$26 7.3% 49.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $121 in Budaun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $21.00 in Budaun. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $71.0, with Budaun cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Budaun

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

159,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Budaun 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Budaun

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 Budaun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaun is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 160% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,408 in Chiang Mai and $541 in Budaun to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Budaun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Budaun runs roughly 592% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $104 in Budaun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $360 in Budaun versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Budaun but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Budaun the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Budaun is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Budaun are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Budaun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.