Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hospet

For one person, living is cheaper in Hospet: $312 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Hospet
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Hospet Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Hospet

🇮🇳 India

$312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $312 in Hospet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Hospet $312

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $501 in Hospet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Hospet $501

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $690 in Hospet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Hospet $690

Chiang Mai costs about 200% more than Hospet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Hospet are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hospet 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.56 ₹148

43.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$7.71 ₹732

146.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.30 ₹219

141.30%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.62 ₹154

3.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.33 ₹31.72

93.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.12 ₹11.17

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.35 ₹128

74.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.08 ₹198

75.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.56 ₹53.3

248.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.48 ₹45.78

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.82 ₹78.0

62.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.86 ₹82.1

165.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.67 ₹538

190.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.12 ₹296

-10.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.99 ₹189

18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.51 ₹48.46

90.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.51 ₹48.16

213.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.34 ₹32.31

341.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.38 ₹36.31

236.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.40 ₹37.61

175.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.43 ₹40.67

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.31 ₹29.76

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.49 ₹331

18.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$3.23 ₹306

442.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.28 ₹121

25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.94 ₹184

43.30%

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

$6.47 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.50 ₹47.86

74.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$6.16 ₹585

778.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.62 ₹58.8

87.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.30 ₹28.57

76.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.15 ₹205

12.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.09 ₹103

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$8,239 ₹782.2K

155.59%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

115.49%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$30.31 ₹2,878

105.11%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$1.98 ₹188

514.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$8.73 ₹829

130.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$10.33 ₹981

261.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.43 ₹990

-63.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.34 ₹222

177.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$31.74 ₹3,013

2219.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,962 ₹281.2K

398.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$31.86 ₹3,025

67.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$29.99 ₹2,848

-17.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$31.76 ₹3,015

188.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$26.57 ₹2,522

170.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$68.8 ₹6,534

600.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$49.66 ₹4,715

522.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$181 ₹17.2K

456.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$124 ₹11.8K

411.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$526 ₹49.9K

349.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$257 ₹24.4K

517.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$170 ₹16.2K

246.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.47

-34.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hospet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Hospet

$50 15.9% 83.9% $259

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Hospet

$91 29% 61.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Hospet

$54 17.3% 50.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hospet

$41 13.1% 56.6% $53

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Hospet

$52 16.5% 33.5% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hospet

$10 3.3% 83.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hospet

$15 4.8% 70.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $69 in Hospet. 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 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $8 in Hospet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $91 – making Hospet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Hospet

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

09:39 9:39 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 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 Hospet 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hospet

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 Hospet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 200% more than Hospet, 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 $468 in Hospet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hospet, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $69 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $32 in Hospet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 158% 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 $312 in Hospet, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Hospet – 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 Hospet. 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.