Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dehradun

For one person, living is cheaper in Dehradun: $522 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Dehradun
Learn more

Dehradun Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Dehradun

🇮🇳 India

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $522 in Dehradun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Dehradun $522

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $773 in Dehradun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Dehradun $773

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,024 in Dehradun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Dehradun $1,024

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Dehradun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Dehradun are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dehradun 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$3.11 ₹294

-31.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$10.72 ₹1,012

73.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$3.66 ₹346

53.01%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.84 ₹174

-9.78%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$0.38 ₹35.57

71.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$0.15 ₹14.23

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$1.89 ₹178

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$2.59 ₹244

41.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$0.73 ₹68.7

176.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$0.54 ₹50.7

161.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$0.73 ₹69.4

90.41%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$0.83 ₹78.1

185.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$5.38 ₹509

207.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$3.29 ₹311

-18.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$1.86 ₹176

29.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$0.76 ₹72.2

36.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$0.64 ₹60.1

159.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$0.47 ₹44.49

231.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$0.30 ₹28.68

313.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$0.35 ₹32.80

211.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$0.47 ₹44.07

61.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$0.30 ₹28.70

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$5.04 ₹476

-18.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$9.96 ₹941

80.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$1.47 ₹139

10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$2.13 ₹201

32.39%

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

$4.87 ₹460

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$0.15 ₹14.57

520.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$12.89 ₹1,218

310.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$1.04 ₹98.0

13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$0.33 ₹31.52

-48.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$1.54 ₹146

17.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.09 ₹103

34.86%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$11.5K ₹1.1M

83.44%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$18.2K ₹1.7M

45.56%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$64.4 ₹6,084

-2.86%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$3.60 ₹341

222.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$7.27 ₹687

179.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$16.77 ₹1,584

125.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$10.00 ₹945

-63.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$3.60 ₹340

80.83%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$49.30 ₹4,657

1374.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$8,139 ₹768.9K

103.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$25.59 ₹2,417

109.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$27.83 ₹2,630

-10.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$38.63 ₹3,650

133.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$40.31 ₹3,808

78.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$220 ₹20.8K

118.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$163 ₹15.4K

89.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$405 ₹38.3K

161.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$289 ₹27.3K

127.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$983 ₹92.8K

146.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

$562 ₹53.1K

186.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$373 ₹35.3K

59.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dehradun: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Dehradun

$163 31.3% 47.3% $147

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Dehradun

$109 20.9% 54% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Dehradun

$60 11.4% 45% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dehradun

$75 14.4% 20.3% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Dehradun

$75 14.3% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Dehradun

$16 3.1% 72.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Dehradun

$24 4.6% 52.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $220 in Dehradun. 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 59% 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 $11 in Dehradun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $109 – making Dehradun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Dehradun

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

447,808

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dehradun 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dehradun

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 Dehradun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Dehradun, 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 $783 in Dehradun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dehradun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $220 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $49 in Dehradun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 117% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Dehradun – 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 Dehradun. 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.