Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Janakpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Janakpur: $294 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Janakpur
Learn more

Janakpur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Janakpur

🇳🇵 Nepal

$294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $294 in Janakpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Janakpur $294

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $505 in Janakpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Janakpur $505

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $717 in Janakpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Janakpur $717

Chiang Mai costs about 218% more than Janakpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Janakpur are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Janakpur 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.93 NPR 293

16.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$11.31 NPR 1,717

67.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.62 NPR 1,005

-16.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.50 NPR 227

11.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.55 NPR 84.1

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.14 NPR 21.10

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.08 NPR 317

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.60 NPR 243

128.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.62 NPR 93.9

214.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.32 NPR 47.88

350.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.86 NPR 131

54.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.67 NPR 253

36.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.26 NPR 495

404.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.41 NPR 366

15.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.93 NPR 900

57.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.60 NPR 243

46.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.64 NPR 96.4

51.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.03 NPR 157

55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.58 NPR 88.3

158.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.31 NPR 47.51

312.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.50 NPR 75.6

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.23 NPR 34.38

208.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.14 NPR 21.62

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.28 NPR 347

81.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.80 NPR 1,184

124.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.47 NPR 223

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.91 NPR 291

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.67 NPR 102

73.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.16 NPR 176

-54.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$3.22 NPR 488

-24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.03 NPR 156

40.78%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$22.8K NPR 3.5M

-7.63%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$26.1K NPR 4.0M

3.28%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$13.30 NPR 2,019

367.44%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.59 NPR 544

239.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$3.91 NPR 593

414.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$13.11 NPR 1,991

184.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.55 NPR 994

-42.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.88 NPR 437

125.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$32.52 NPR 4,937

2163.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$5,563 NPR 844.6K

165.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$23.78 NPR 3,609

124.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$16.12 NPR 2,447

52.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$39.05 NPR 5,928

134.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$23.43 NPR 3,557

207.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$53.3 NPR 8,093

804.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$22.79 NPR 3,460

1255.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$131 NPR 19.9K

665.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$99.1 NPR 15.0K

539.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$324 NPR 49.2K

81.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.98

-44.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Janakpur: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Janakpur

$23 7.8% 92.6% $286

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Janakpur

$109 37.2% 53.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Janakpur

$46 15.7% 57.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Janakpur

$21 7.1% 78% $74

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Janakpur

$70 23.7% 10.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Janakpur

$6.5 * 2.2% 89.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Janakpur

$19 6.4% 62.5% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $53 in Janakpur. 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 82% 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 $11 in Janakpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $109 – making Janakpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇵 Janakpur

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

15:07 3:07 PM

1 h 15 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

195,438

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 169 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Janakpur 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Janakpur

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 Janakpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 218% more than Janakpur, 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 $441 in Janakpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Janakpur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $53 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $11 in Janakpur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 114% 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 $294 in Janakpur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Janakpur – 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 Janakpur. 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.