Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jhelum

For one person, living is cheaper in Jhelum: $397 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Jhelum
Learn more

Jhelum Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jhelum

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $397 in Jhelum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jhelum $397

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $606 in Jhelum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jhelum $606

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $815 in Jhelum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jhelum $815

Chiang Mai costs about 136% more than Jhelum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Jhelum are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jhelum 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.84 PKR 508

21.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$10.86 PKR 3,002

74.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.52 PKR 1,526

0.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 PKR 687

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 PKR 613

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.52 PKR 419

9.87%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.48 PKR 134

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.32 PKR 88.9

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.64 PKR 176

204.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.60 PKR 167

140.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.27 PKR 350

4.72%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.19 PKR 329

91.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$2.66 PKR 735

518.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.36 PKR 654

17.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$2.70 PKR 746

244.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.10 PKR 303

113.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.34 PKR 95.3

185.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.56 PKR 156

185.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.63 PKR 175

138.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.30 PKR 83.4

326.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.38 PKR 104

189.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.41 PKR 114

73.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.41 PKR 112

19.51%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.86 PKR 515

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 PKR 154

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 PKR 647

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.42 PKR 392

191.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.17 PKR 46.59

411.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$11.33 PKR 3,133

377.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.07 PKR 295

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.10 PKR 304

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.87 PKR 793

-15.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.18 PKR 326

22.88%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

-10.71%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

16.58%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$66.2 PKR 18.3K

-6.02%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.67 PKR 1,568

114.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$14.72 PKR 4,070

36.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$15.48 PKR 4,278

141.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.65 PKR 2,392

-56.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.32 PKR 2,024

-11.34%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$26.16 PKR 7,231

2714.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,005 PKR 554.3K

636.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$18.73 PKR 5,178

184.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$26.05 PKR 7,200

-5.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$54.9 PKR 15.2K

66.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$30.06 PKR 8,310

139.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$144 PKR 39.8K

235.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$79.7 PKR 22.0K

287.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$259 PKR 71.6K

288.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$160 PKR 44.1K

296.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$730 PKR 201.7K

223.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$474 PKR 131.1K

235.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.83

-52.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jhelum: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jhelum

$80 20.1% 74.2% $229

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jhelum

$71 17.9% 69.6% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jhelum

$58 14.7% 46.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jhelum

$87 21.8% 8.4% $7.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jhelum

$53 13.3% 32.1% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jhelum

$19 4.7% 69.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jhelum

$30 7.6% 40.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $144 in Jhelum. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Jhelum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $71 – making Jhelum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Jhelum

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

190,425

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jhelum 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jhelum

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 Jhelum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 136% more than Jhelum, 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 $596 in Jhelum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jhelum, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $144 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $26 in Jhelum. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 229% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Jhelum – 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.

For expats, Jhelum is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 58% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.