Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chengalpattu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengalpattu: $341 a month against $925 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Chengalpattu
Learn more

Chengalpattu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Chengalpattu

🇮🇳 India

$341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $341 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Chengalpattu $341

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $531 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Chengalpattu $531

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $721 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Chengalpattu $721

Chiang Mai costs about 171% more than Chengalpattu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Chengalpattu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Chengalpattu 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.03 ₹97.7

122.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$9.24 ₹878

112.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$2.97 ₹282

88.89%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.67 ₹158

-0.60%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.41 ₹39.05

70.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.20 ₹18.97

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.84 ₹174

30.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.98 ₹283

24.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.66 ₹62.7

195.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.45 ₹42.65

213.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.53 ₹50.3

147.17%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.96 ₹91.1

127.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$4.38 ₹416

280.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.80 ₹266

-1.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.83 ₹174

30.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.64 ₹60.5

60.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.95 ₹90.0

71.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.45 ₹42.62

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.32 ₹30.13

303.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.40 ₹37.54

177.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.46 ₹43.97

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.31 ₹29.77

70.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.13 ₹487

-15.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$4.16 ₹395

331.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.07 ₹197

-23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.04 ₹288

-6.58%

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

$3.34 ₹317

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.25 ₹23.46

244.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$7.06 ₹671

654.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.88 ₹83.5

37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.25 ₹23.68

128.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.61 ₹153

45.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.08 ₹103

33.33%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$12.4K ₹1.2M

67.11%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$19.4K ₹1.8M

38.31%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$34.67 ₹3,292

79.78%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$3.38 ₹321

258.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$6.68 ₹634

198.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$14.69 ₹1,395

152.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$4.80 ₹455

-21.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.98 ₹283

118.12%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$47.19 ₹4,481

1579.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,428 ₹135.6K

936.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$21.59 ₹2,050

148.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$23.24 ₹2,207

5.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$38.95 ₹3,699

133.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$28.68 ₹2,723

148.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$96.8 ₹9,190

370.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$65.0 ₹6,177

357.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$185 ₹17.6K

390.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$137 ₹13.0K

305.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$713 ₹67.7K

170.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$454 ₹43.1K

218.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$580 ₹55.1K

1.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.75

-36.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chengalpattu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Chengalpattu

$65 19.1% 78.2% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Chengalpattu

$95 27.9% 59.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Chengalpattu

$51 14.8% 53.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Chengalpattu

$45 13.1% 52.6% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Chengalpattu

$55 16% 30.3% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Chengalpattu

$10 3% 83.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Chengalpattu

$21 6.1% 58.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $96.8 in Chengalpattu. 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 2% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $9.00 in Chengalpattu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $95.0 – making Chengalpattu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Chengalpattu

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

65,689

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Chengalpattu 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chengalpattu

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 Chengalpattu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 171%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $512 in Chengalpattu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 655% less in Chengalpattu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $47.19 in Chengalpattu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chengalpattu, where all-in costs run around $341, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Chengalpattu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Chengalpattu. 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.