Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Itanagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Itanagar: $350 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 Itanagar
Learn more

Itanagar Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Itanagar

🇮🇳 India

$350

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $350 in Itanagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Itanagar $350

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

Chiang Mai $1,467
Itanagar $558

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $765 in Itanagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Itanagar $765

Chiang Mai costs about 167% more than Itanagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$2.84 ₹269

-25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$11.71 ₹1,109

59.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$5.40 ₹512

3.70%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.46 ₹233

-32.52%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.43 ₹41.16

51.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.16 ₹15.55

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.30 ₹123

78.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.50 ₹331

4.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.67 ₹63.1

201.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.38 ₹36.36

271.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.61 ₹57.7

127.87%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.95 ₹90.3

149.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$2.07 ₹196

698.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.30 ₹313

-19.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.20 ₹209

9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.73 ₹68.8

42.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.95 ₹89.8

74.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.62 ₹59.1

151.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.35 ₹33.32

254.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.35 ₹32.93

211.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.31 ₹28.97

145.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.25 ₹23.60

104.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.66 ₹346

12.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$4.61 ₹437

288.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.52 ₹144

6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.24 ₹117

127.42%

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

$4.84 ₹458

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.68 ₹64.5

73.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.28 ₹26.21

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.31 ₹124

38.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.96 ₹91.3

53.13%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

86.14%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$16.8K ₹1.6M

58.22%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$34.74 ₹3,291

80.08%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$3.36 ₹319

245.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$6.41 ₹608

216.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$21.33 ₹2,020

77.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$3.26 ₹309

99.69%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$28.09 ₹2,661

2488.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$470 ₹44.6K

3422.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$16.04 ₹1,519

233.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$34.53 ₹3,271

-28.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$36.18 ₹3,427

149.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$26.92 ₹2,550

167.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$72.7 ₹6,890

561.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$53.0 ₹5,017

485.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$161 ₹15.2K

558.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$127 ₹12.1K

417.23%

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

$321 ₹30.4K

85.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.26

-23.28%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Itanagar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Itanagar

$53 15.1% 82.9% $257

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Itanagar

$87 24.9% 63.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Itanagar

$51 14.6% 52.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Itanagar

$45 12.7% 52.9% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Itanagar

$84 24.1% 10.2% $7.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Itanagar

$2.1 * 0.6% 96.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Itanagar

$28 8% 45.3% $23

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 $73 in Itanagar. 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 85% 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 $12 in Itanagar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $87 – making Itanagar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Itanagar

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

60,000

💱 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 Itanagar 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Itanagar

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 Itanagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 167% more than Itanagar, 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 $525 in Itanagar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itanagar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $73 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $12 in Itanagar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 172% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Itanagar – 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 Itanagar. 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.