Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Haldia

For one person, living is cheaper in Haldia: $423 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Haldia
Learn more

Haldia Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Haldia

🇮🇳 India

$423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $423 in Haldia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Haldia $423

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $662 in Haldia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Haldia $662

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $900 in Haldia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Haldia $900

Chiang Mai costs about 121% more than Haldia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.10 ₹294

-27.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$7.84 ₹745

142.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.75 ₹356

48.00%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.39 ₹132

20.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.55 ₹52.5

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.13 ₹11.92

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.63 ₹154

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.65 ₹156

121.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.64 ₹60.6

204.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.43 ₹40.82

234.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.64 ₹61.1

107.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.96 ₹91.1

137.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.28 ₹691

125.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.35 ₹223

18.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.09 ₹199

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.69 ₹65.7

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.54 ₹147

3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.66 ₹62.6

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.35 ₹33.69

265.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.50 ₹47.63

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.49 ₹46.13

44.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.30 ₹28.10

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.90 ₹465

-15.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.82 ₹1,217

36.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.42 ₹135

13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.97 ₹282

-6.40%

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

$8.34 ₹792

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.20 ₹19.00

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.98 ₹757

577.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.07 ₹101

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.27 ₹25.71

96.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.62 ₹154

49.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.13 ₹107

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

84.42%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$20.0K ₹1.9M

35.02%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$45.15 ₹4,287

37.70%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.45 ₹328

252.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.24 ₹593

222.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$16.02 ₹1,521

132.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.60 ₹531

-32.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.21 ₹305

102.18%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$27.14 ₹2,577

2612.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,280 ₹121.6K

1053.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$33.85 ₹3,214

57.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$26.60 ₹2,526

-7.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$60.5 ₹5,748

51.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$35.55 ₹3,376

102.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$121 ₹11.5K

297.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$76.4 ₹7,257

304.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$271 ₹25.7K

271.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$184 ₹17.5K

243.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,049 ₹99.6K

125.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$588 ₹55.9K

170.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.25

-45.66%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Haldia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Haldia

$76 18.1% 75.3% $232

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Haldia

$121 28.6% 48.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Haldia

$70 16.7% 35.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Haldia

$55 13% 41.9% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Haldia

$67 15.8% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Haldia

$11 2.7% 81.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Haldia

$22 5.3% 55.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Haldia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $8 in Haldia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $121 – making Haldia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Haldia

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

200,762

💱 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Haldia 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Haldia

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 Haldia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 121% more than Haldia, 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 $635 in Haldia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haldia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

Groceries cost about 94% 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 $423 in Haldia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Haldia – 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.

For expats, Haldia is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.