Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Guwahati

For one person, living is cheaper in Guwahati: $397 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Guwahati
Learn more

Guwahati Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Guwahati

🇮🇳 India

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $397 in Guwahati, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Guwahati $397

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $664 in Guwahati, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Guwahati $664

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $931 in Guwahati, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Guwahati $931

Chiang Mai costs about 135% more than Guwahati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Guwahati are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Guwahati 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.83 ₹269

-20.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$11.50 ₹1,095

65.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.21 ₹496

6.53%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.45 ₹233

-31.84%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.40 ₹38.45

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.15 ₹14.14

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.29 ₹123

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.36 ₹320

8.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.67 ₹63.9

191.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.46 ₹43.88

213.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.54 ₹51.7

146.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.93 ₹88.8

145.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.07 ₹387

304.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.30 ₹314

-15.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.28 ₹217

3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.70 ₹66.9

38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.90 ₹85.3

77.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.61 ₹58.3

145.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.35 ₹33.63

265.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.35 ₹33.28

214.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.33 ₹31.43

115.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.29 ₹27.81

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.11 ₹486

-18.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.23 ₹689

142.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.72 ₹164

-6.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.45 ₹233

13.47%

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

$4.96 ₹472

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.20 ₹19.04

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$5.15 ₹490

950.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.73 ₹69.5

58.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.30 ₹28.79

76.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.33 ₹127

81.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.10 ₹105

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

86.72%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$16.4K ₹1.6M

64.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$34.80 ₹3,314

78.65%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.33 ₹317

265.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$6.43 ₹612

212.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$12.01 ₹1,144

210.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.02 ₹954

-62.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.21 ₹306

102.18%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$27.18 ₹2,588

2608.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,201 ₹209.6K

570.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$16.96 ₹1,615

214.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$30.82 ₹2,935

-20.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$37.87 ₹3,606

141.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$27.59 ₹2,627

160.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$154 ₹14.6K

214.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$89.4 ₹8,508

245.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$359 ₹34.2K

179.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$263 ₹25.1K

140.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$742 ₹70.7K

218.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$519 ₹49.4K

206.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$336 ₹32.0K

75.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.38

-24.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guwahati: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Guwahati

$89 22.5% 71.1% $220

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Guwahati

$103 25.9% 56.1% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Guwahati

$51 12.8% 53.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Guwahati

$45 11.2% 52.8% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Guwahati

$83 20.9% 7% $5.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Guwahati

$8.2 2.1% 86.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Guwahati

$18 4.6% 63.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $154 in Guwahati. 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 76% 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 $12 in Guwahati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $103 – making Guwahati the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Guwahati

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,000,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 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 Guwahati 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Guwahati

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 Guwahati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 135% more than Guwahati, 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 $596 in Guwahati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guwahati, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $154 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $27 in Guwahati. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 128% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

If budget matters most, go with Guwahati. 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.