Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Faridabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Faridabad: $416 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Faridabad
Learn more

Faridabad Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Faridabad

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $416 in Faridabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Faridabad $416

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $668 in Faridabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Faridabad $668

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $921 in Faridabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Faridabad $921

Chiang Mai costs about 125% more than Faridabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Faridabad are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Faridabad 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.72 ₹353

-39.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$14.24 ₹1,351

33.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.56 ₹243

116.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.36 ₹129

22.79%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.43 ₹40.52

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.16 ₹15.19

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.03 ₹192

16.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.27 ₹216

61.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.70 ₹66.7

178.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.51 ₹48.08

182.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.82 ₹77.6

62.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.97 ₹92.0

135.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.22 ₹401

289.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.07 ₹291

-9.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.72 ₹163

36.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.59 ₹56.3

64.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.65 ₹61.6

146.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.45 ₹42.42

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.31 ₹29.16

312.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.42 ₹39.53

161.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.94 ₹89.2

-24.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.34 ₹32.40

44.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.51 ₹428

-8.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.58 ₹1,099

51.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.29 ₹123

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.46 ₹234

13.01%

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

$5.10 ₹484

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.22 ₹20.90

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$9.88 ₹937

447.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.52 ₹49.33

123.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.21 ₹20.14

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.06 ₹101

128.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.09 ₹103

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

90.25%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$22.8K ₹2.2M

18.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$52.1 ₹4,943

19.37%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.21 ₹305

279.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$5.83 ₹553

245.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$13.92 ₹1,321

168.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.20 ₹968

-63.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.86 ₹271

126.92%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$101 ₹9,600

627.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$1,661 ₹157.7K

788.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$20.88 ₹1,981

155.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$32.96 ₹3,128

-25.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$42.03 ₹3,989

117.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$24.58 ₹2,333

192.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$120 ₹11.4K

303.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$89.7 ₹8,514

244.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$296 ₹28.1K

239.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$221 ₹21.0K

186.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,245 ₹118.1K

89.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,141 ₹108.2K

39.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$317 ₹30.1K

85.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.18

-45.28%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Faridabad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Faridabad

$90 21.6% 71% $219

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Faridabad

$108 26.1% 53.8% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Faridabad

$54 13% 50.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Faridabad

$61 14.7% 35.3% $33

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Faridabad

$71 17% 8.8% $6.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Faridabad

$12 3% 79.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Faridabad

$20 4.7% 60.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $120 in Faridabad. 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 86% 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 $14 in Faridabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $108 – making Faridabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Faridabad

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

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 = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.54 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Faridabad 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Faridabad

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 Faridabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 125% more than Faridabad, 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 $624 in Faridabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Faridabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $120 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $101 in Faridabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $416 in Faridabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Faridabad costs $416 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Faridabad. 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.