Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dewas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dewas: $256 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
12

Cost of Living Index in Dewas
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Dewas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dewas

🇮🇳 India

$256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $256 in Dewas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dewas $256

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $425 in Dewas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dewas $425

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $593 in Dewas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dewas $593

Chiang Mai costs about 265% more than Dewas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Dewas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dewas 81% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.98 ₹188

13.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$5.74 ₹545

231.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.17 ₹301

75.08%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.90 ₹180

-12.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.32 ₹29.99

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.13 ₹12.04

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.28 ₹122

84.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.40 ₹228

52.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.58 ₹55.4

236.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.49 ₹46.22

193.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.71 ₹67.3

87.32%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.79 ₹75.4

188.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.73 ₹449

247.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.29 ₹218

21.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.67 ₹159

40.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.55 ₹52.5

76.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.79 ₹75.2

102.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.53 ₹50.8

183.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.24 ₹22.63

433.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.40 ₹38.08

175.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.16 ₹15.00

343.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.31 ₹29.58

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.44 ₹326

20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.21 ₹495

236.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.44 ₹137

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.64 ₹251

5.30%

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

$4.88 ₹463

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.33 ₹31.34

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.06 ₹670

666.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.03 ₹97.4

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.11 ₹10.18

381.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.54 ₹146

57.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.04 ₹98.5

39.42%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

85.60%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$17.8K ₹1.7M

51.13%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$12.78 ₹1,214

386.46%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.61 ₹248

366.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.47 ₹709

169.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$6.84 ₹650

445.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.68 ₹634

-43.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.39 ₹227

171.55%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$10.68 ₹1,014

6792.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,406 ₹228.5K

513.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$12.38 ₹1,175

331.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$8.89 ₹844

177.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$26.20 ₹2,488

249.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$12.79 ₹1,214

462.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$48.10 ₹4,567

902.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$34.77 ₹3,301

788.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$172 ₹16.3K

485.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$116 ₹11.0K

445.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$911 ₹86.5K

159.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$542 ₹51.5K

193.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$483 ₹45.9K

22.04%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dewas: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dewas

$35 13.6% 88.7% $274

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dewas

$89 34.6% 62.2% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dewas

$27 10.6% 75% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dewas

$23 8.9% 75.8% $72

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dewas

$61 23.9% 21.2% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dewas

$9.9 3.9% 83.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dewas

$12 4.5% 76.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $48 in Dewas. 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 22% 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 $6 in Dewas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $89 – making Dewas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Dewas

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

200,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dewas 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dewas

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 Dewas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 265% more than Dewas, 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 $384 in Dewas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dewas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $48 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $10.68 in Dewas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 164% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Dewas – 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 Dewas. 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.