Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cuttack

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuttack: $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 Cuttack
Learn more

Cuttack Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cuttack

🇮🇳 India

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Chiang Mai $936
Cuttack $356

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $554 in Cuttack, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cuttack $554

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $751 in Cuttack, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cuttack $751

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$0.86 ₹81.5

160.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$7.77 ₹737

144.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.14 ₹393

34.06%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.45 ₹137

15.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.43 ₹41.19

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.12 ₹11.53

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.35 ₹128

74.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.30 ₹218

59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.56 ₹52.7

248.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.43 ₹40.73

234.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.57 ₹54.4

133.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.84 ₹79.4

171.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.35 ₹318

391.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.60 ₹247

6.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.13 ₹202

10.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.73 ₹69.3

32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.33 ₹127

20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.40 ₹37.97

275.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.25 ₹23.77

412.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.36 ₹34.49

205.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.49 ₹46.98

44.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.32 ₹30.51

53.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.00 ₹285

38.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.11 ₹580

186.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.79 ₹170

-10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.24 ₹213

24.11%

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

$6.77 ₹643

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.22 ₹20.89

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.60 ₹1,101

366.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.06 ₹101

9.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.22 ₹20.89

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.13 ₹202

13.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.08 ₹102

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$11.0K ₹1.0M

91.08%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$21.0K ₹2.0M

28.42%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$38.45 ₹3,649

61.69%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.25 ₹308

274.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.45 ₹612

211.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$19.24 ₹1,826

93.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$1.55 ₹147

143.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.38 ₹226

172.69%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$21.38 ₹2,029

3343.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$2,268 ₹215.2K

550.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$15.00 ₹1,423

255.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$9.31 ₹884

164.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$46.31 ₹4,395

97.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$19.42 ₹1,843

270.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$136 ₹12.9K

253.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$85.0 ₹8,063

263.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$279 ₹26.4K

260.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$195 ₹18.5K

225.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$395 ₹37.5K

498.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$237 ₹22.5K

570.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$441 ₹41.9K

33.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.1

-31.23%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cuttack: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cuttack

$85 23.8% 72.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cuttack

$94 26.3% 59.9% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cuttack

$41 11.4% 62.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cuttack

$48 13.5% 49% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cuttack

$50 14.1% 35.3% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cuttack

$15 4.1% 76.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cuttack

$24 6.7% 52.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $136 in Cuttack. 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 34% 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 in Chiang Mai versus $8 in Cuttack. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $94 – making Cuttack the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Cuttack

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

610,189

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.4 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.9 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cuttack 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cuttack

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 Cuttack: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 163% more than Cuttack, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $535 in Cuttack. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuttack, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $21 in Cuttack. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 150% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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