Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Haroonabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Haroonabad: $504 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Haroonabad
Learn more

Haroonabad Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Haroonabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $504 in Haroonabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Haroonabad $504

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $748 in Haroonabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Haroonabad $748

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $993 in Haroonabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Haroonabad $993

Chiang Mai costs about 84% more than Haroonabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Haroonabad are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Haroonabad 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.58 PKR 714

-11.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$14.23 PKR 3,939

38.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.91 PKR 1,635

-5.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 PKR 974

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 PKR 1,460

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.57 PKR 711

-35.41%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.39 PKR 107

79.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.23 PKR 63.3

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.91 PKR 253

114.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.77 PKR 214

83.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.20 PKR 331

9.17%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.18 PKR 328

84.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$6.26 PKR 1,732

165.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.60 PKR 721

6.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$5.04 PKR 1,396

80.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.23 PKR 340

94.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.68 PKR 189

51.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.85 PKR 234

91.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.64 PKR 177

134.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.30 PKR 82.4

330.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.37 PKR 102

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.47 PKR 131

53.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.35 PKR 96.6

51.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.11 PKR 307

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 PKR 180

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 PKR 477

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.19 PKR 607

96.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.19 PKR 52.3

352.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$10.17 PKR 2,816

423.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.86 PKR 239

40.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.69 PKR 190

-17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.85 PKR 512

27.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.39 PKR 385

3.60%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$17.9K PKR 4.9M

16.01%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$25.2K PKR 7.0M

6.47%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$129 PKR 35.7K

-51.65%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$5.62 PKR 1,555

115.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$16.09 PKR 4,453

23.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$14.92 PKR 4,129

148.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$7.88 PKR 2,182

-52.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.42 PKR 1,224

47.06%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$47.05 PKR 13.0K

1584.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$2,039 PKR 564.2K

626.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$18.09 PKR 5,007

197.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$28.22 PKR 7,811

-12.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$73.5 PKR 20.3K

23.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$32.93 PKR 9,114

116.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$127 PKR 35.3K

257.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$76.0 PKR 21.0K

291.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$254 PKR 70.3K

257.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$148 PKR 41.1K

273.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$915 PKR 253.2K

111.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$485 PKR 134.2K

198.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.05

-60.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Haroonabad: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Haroonabad

$76 15.1% 74.5% $222

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Haroonabad

$98 19.4% 58.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Haroonabad

$69 13.6% 36.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Haroonabad

$151 29.9% 59.6% $56

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Haroonabad

$72 14.2% 8.9% $7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Haroonabad

$15 3% 75% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Haroonabad

$24 4.7% 52.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $127 in Haroonabad. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $14.00 in Haroonabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $98.0 – making Haroonabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Haroonabad

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,624,219

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Haroonabad 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Haroonabad

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 Haroonabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 84% more than Haroonabad, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $756 in Haroonabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Haroonabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $47.05 in Haroonabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 141% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Haroonabad, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Haroonabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Haroonabad costs $504 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Haroonabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.