Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hosur

For one person, living is cheaper in Hosur: $333 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Hosur
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Hosur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Hosur

🇮🇳 India

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $333 in Hosur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Hosur $333

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $506 in Hosur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Hosur $506

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $679 in Hosur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Hosur $679

Chiang Mai costs about 181% more than Hosur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Hosur are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hosur 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$1.26 ₹119

69.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$6.49 ₹615

186.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.24 ₹402

32.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.53 ₹145

8.50%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.46 ₹43.44

41.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.14 ₹12.92

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.13 ₹202

8.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.82 ₹362

-3.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.54 ₹51.1

274.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.42 ₹39.98

235.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.56 ₹53.1

148.21%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.75 ₹71.1

216.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$3.13 ₹296

427.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.55 ₹242

4.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.09 ₹198

14.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.69 ₹65.6

50.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.11 ₹105

49.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.39 ₹37.33

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.44 ₹41.48

181.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.36 ₹33.80

202.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.27 ₹25.59

181.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.31 ₹29.64

64.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.10 ₹483

-19.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$5.17 ₹490

246.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.71 ₹162

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.17 ₹300

-11.04%

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

$2.68 ₹254

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.31 ₹29.09

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$4.27 ₹404

1138.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.09 ₹103

8.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.28 ₹26.10

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.65 ₹156

9.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.12 ₹106

31.25%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

85.95%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$14.1K ₹1.3M

88.27%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$35.14 ₹3,329

78.03%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$3.12 ₹296

271.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$6.57 ₹622

208.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$21.19 ₹2,008

78.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$2.61 ₹247

41.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$2.70 ₹255

141.11%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$48.17 ₹4,563

1409.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$1,063 ₹100.7K

1458.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$16.25 ₹1,539

229.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$5.42 ₹514

357.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$30.27 ₹2,868

198.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$28.73 ₹2,721

150.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$92.4 ₹8,753

420.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$65.0 ₹6,153

377.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$203 ₹19.2K

421.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$134 ₹12.7K

390.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$653 ₹61.8K

270.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$442 ₹41.9K

263.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$484 ₹45.8K

23.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hosur: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Hosur

$65 19.5% 79% $245

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Hosur

$90 27.1% 61.9% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Hosur

$36 10.9% 66.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hosur

$45 13.5% 52.5% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Hosur

$62 18.6% 19.3% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Hosur

$8 2.4% 86.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Hosur

$27 8% 47.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $92 in Hosur. 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 23% 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 $6 in Hosur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $90 – making Hosur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Hosur

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

116,800

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hosur 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hosur

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 Hosur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 181% more than Hosur, 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 $499 in Hosur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hosur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $92 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $48 in Hosur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 163% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Hosur, where all-in costs run around $333, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Hosur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hosur – 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 Hosur. 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.