Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gandhinagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gandhinagar: $470 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Gandhinagar
Learn more

Gandhinagar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gandhinagar

🇮🇳 India

$470

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $470 in Gandhinagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gandhinagar $470

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $714 in Gandhinagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gandhinagar $714

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $958 in Gandhinagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gandhinagar $958

Chiang Mai costs about 99% more than Gandhinagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Gandhinagar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Gandhinagar 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.19 ₹303

-29.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$10.70 ₹1,016

77.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.67 ₹348

51.23%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.36 ₹224

-29.24%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.36 ₹34.53

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.13 ₹12.47

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.43 ₹325

-31.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.16 ₹395

-12.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.68 ₹64.5

186.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.51 ₹48.23

182.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.71 ₹67.2

87.32%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.15 ₹109

98.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.47 ₹519

200.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.20 ₹399

-33.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.74 ₹165

35.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.60 ₹56.8

61.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.80 ₹76.3

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.59 ₹55.7

154.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.35 ₹33.40

265.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.41 ₹38.75

168.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.60 ₹56.5

18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.30 ₹28.24

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.17 ₹491

-19.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.70 ₹731

127.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.82 ₹173

-11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.99 ₹284

-7.02%

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

$6.35 ₹603

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.36 ₹33.76

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.60 ₹56.9

93.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.25 ₹23.46

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.03 ₹97.7

134.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.09 ₹104

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

89.10%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$18.7K ₹1.8M

43.88%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$43.83 ₹4,162

41.84%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.69 ₹351

229.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$11.50 ₹1,092

74.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.01 ₹286

115.61%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$33.28 ₹3,160

2111.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$901 ₹85.6K

1538.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$22.49 ₹2,136

137.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$24.45 ₹2,322

0.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$46.44 ₹4,410

96.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$32.60 ₹3,095

120.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$130 ₹12.3K

271.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$139 ₹13.2K

122.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$267 ₹25.4K

276.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$272 ₹25.9K

132.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,037 ₹98.4K

127.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,282 ₹121.8K

23.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$779 ₹74.0K

-24.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.86

-37.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gandhinagar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gandhinagar

$139 29.6% 55% $170

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gandhinagar

$113 24.2% 51.6% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gandhinagar

$57 12.1% 47.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gandhinagar

$59 12.6% 37.5% $35

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gandhinagar

$92 19.6% 18.9% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gandhinagar

$3.3 * 0.7% 94.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gandhinagar

$6 * 1.3% 88% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $130 in Gandhinagar. 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 32% higher in Gandhinagar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Gandhinagar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $113 – making Gandhinagar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Gandhinagar

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

206,200

💱 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 Gandhinagar 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gandhinagar

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 Gandhinagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 99% more than Gandhinagar, 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 $705 in Gandhinagar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gandhinagar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $130 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $11 in Gandhinagar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Gandhinagar, where all-in costs run around $470, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Gandhinagar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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