Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Burdwan

For one person, living is cheaper in Burdwan: $340 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Burdwan
Learn more

Burdwan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Burdwan

🇮🇳 India

$340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $340 in Burdwan.

Chiang Mai $935
Burdwan $340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $535 in Burdwan.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Burdwan $535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $731 in Burdwan.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Burdwan $731

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 175% more expensive than in Burdwan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Burdwan 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$1.27 ₹120

67.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$10.68 ₹1,012

74.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.17 ₹395

34.29%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.07 ₹101

55.14%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.22 ₹20.85

195.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.13 ₹11.87

130.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$1.91 ₹181

21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.55 ₹147

136.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.53 ₹50.5

281.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$0.33 ₹31.62

327.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$0.41 ₹38.80

239.02%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.82 ₹77.3

189.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$5.08 ₹481

225.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.29 ₹217

16.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.24 ₹117

93.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.64 ₹60.9

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.72 ₹68.5

130.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.65 ₹61.2

140.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.25 ₹23.74

396.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.47 ₹44.27

131.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.17 ₹15.72

347.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.28 ₹26.75

82.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.60 ₹152

157.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$3.58 ₹340

400.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.41 ₹133

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.18 ₹112

138.98%

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

$6.99 ₹662

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.23 ₹21.81

304.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$6.97 ₹661

658.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$0.81 ₹77.2

45.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.31 ₹29.00

-45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.60 ₹151

13.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.08 ₹102

36.11%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$13.1K ₹1.2M

60.29%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$22.4K ₹2.1M

18.16%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$53.7 ₹5,090

16.46%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$5.02 ₹475

131.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$4.80 ₹455

322.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$14.21 ₹1,346

166.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$6.61 ₹626

-44.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$3.21 ₹304

102.80%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$42.95 ₹4,069

1592.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$1,997 ₹189.1K

730.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$20.85 ₹1,975

156.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$21.05 ₹1,994

17.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$26.63 ₹2,523

239.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$20.95 ₹1,984

243.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$119 ₹11.2K

305.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$76.9 ₹7,281

303.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$263 ₹24.9K

303.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$184 ₹17.4K

258.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$909 ₹86.1K

165.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$527 ₹49.9K

205.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.08

-38.66%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Burdwan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Burdwan

$77 22.6% 75.2% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Burdwan

$79 23.2% 66.7% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Burdwan

$40 11.9% 62.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Burdwan

$64 18.7% 32.7% $31

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Burdwan

$50 14.6% 35.3% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Burdwan

$10 3% 82.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Burdwan

$21 6.1% 59.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $119 in Burdwan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $11 in Burdwan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $79 per month, with Burdwan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Burdwan

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 94.74 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Burdwan 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Burdwan

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 Burdwan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $340 in Burdwan, so Burdwan is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $510 in Burdwan 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $119 in Burdwan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Burdwan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 201% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Burdwan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Burdwan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.