Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Haridwar

For one person, living is cheaper in Haridwar: $352 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Haridwar
Learn more

Haridwar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Haridwar

🇮🇳 India

$352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $352 in Haridwar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Haridwar $352

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $558 in Haridwar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Haridwar $558

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $763 in Haridwar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Haridwar $763

Chiang Mai costs about 166% more than Haridwar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Haridwar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Haridwar 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$2.04 ₹193

4.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$9.62 ₹911

93.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.01 ₹285

86.05%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.37 ₹225

-29.96%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.31 ₹29.09

109.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.18 ₹16.77

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.14 ₹202

8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.13 ₹297

17.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.69 ₹65.7

192.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.56 ₹53.2

151.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.81 ₹76.9

71.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.90 ₹85.2

163.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$3.40 ₹322

385.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$1.92 ₹182

39.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.91 ₹181

25.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.75 ₹70.8

38.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.03 ₹97.2

61.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.43 ₹40.47

262.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.18 ₹16.74

588.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.42 ₹39.48

159.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.42 ₹39.48

80.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.29 ₹27.46

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.18 ₹491

-20.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.29 ₹786

116.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.68 ₹160

-3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.59 ₹245

8.88%

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

$6.65 ₹630

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.20 ₹18.92

365.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.04 ₹98.8

13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.25 ₹23.79

-32.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.17 ₹205

-16.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.94 ₹89.5

56.38%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

88.04%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$19.8K ₹1.9M

34.23%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$39.98 ₹3,787

56.48%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$2.13 ₹202

444.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$4.85 ₹459

318.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$12.64 ₹1,197

199.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$2.08 ₹197

77.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$5.41 ₹513

20.33%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$104 ₹9,861

598.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$10.8K ₹1.0M

53.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$25.23 ₹2,390

112.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$28.01 ₹2,653

-11.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$53.0 ₹5,017

70.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$43.23 ₹4,095

66.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$106 ₹10.1K

352.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$42.01 ₹3,979

637.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$236 ₹22.4K

348.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$116 ₹11.0K

467.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$204 ₹19.3K

191.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Haridwar: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Haridwar

$42 12% 86.4% $268

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Haridwar

$96 27.4% 59.4% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Haridwar

$67 19.1% 37.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Haridwar

$47 13.4% 50.3% $48

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Haridwar

$73 20.7% 5.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Haridwar

$3.1 * 0.9% 94.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Haridwar

$23 6.7% 53.9% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $106 in Haridwar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $10 in Haridwar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $96 – making Haridwar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Haridwar

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

310,582

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.73 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Haridwar 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Haridwar

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 Haridwar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 166% more than Haridwar, 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 $527 in Haridwar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haridwar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $106 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $10 in Haridwar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 146% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Haridwar – 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 Haridwar. 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.