Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kalyani

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalyani: $317 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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 Kalyani
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Kalyani Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kalyani

🇮🇳 India

$317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $317 in Kalyani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kalyani $317

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $497 in Kalyani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kalyani $497

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $677 in Kalyani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kalyani $677

Chiang Mai costs about 195% more than Kalyani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.16 ₹205

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$14.16 ₹1,344

34.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.14 ₹393

34.06%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.70 ₹161

-1.76%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.42 ₹39.47

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.13 ₹12.74

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.93 ₹183

22.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.12 ₹296

17.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.65 ₹61.9

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.48 ₹45.19

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.55 ₹52.1

141.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.94 ₹88.9

142.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.47 ₹519

200.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.50 ₹237

11.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.49 ₹236

-5.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.51 ₹48.05

90.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.61 ₹58.2

162.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.56 ₹53.2

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.27 ₹25.41

374.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.43 ₹40.87

155.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.31 ₹29.24

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.25 ₹23.56

96.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.58 ₹340

15.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.84 ₹744

123.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.49 ₹141

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.71 ₹257

2.58%

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

$7.09 ₹673

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.15 ₹14.68

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$2.58 ₹245

1996.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.83 ₹78.7

39.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.10 ₹9.91

430.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.61 ₹153

50.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.11 ₹105

30.63%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$13.0K ₹1.2M

61.77%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$22.8K ₹2.2M

18.36%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$53.7 ₹5,097

15.82%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.19 ₹303

281.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$4.35 ₹413

362.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$8.77 ₹832

325.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.30 ₹219

182.17%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$19.00 ₹1,804

3774.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$779 ₹73.9K

1795.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$15.50 ₹1,471

244.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$25.95 ₹2,463

-5.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$35.60 ₹3,380

156.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$29.30 ₹2,781

145.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$50.2 ₹4,768

860.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$20.67 ₹1,963

1394.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$146 ₹13.9K

589.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$48.11 ₹4,567

1216.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$304 ₹28.9K

93.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kalyani: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kalyani

$21 6.5% 93.3% $288

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kalyani

$101 31.9% 56.8% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kalyani

$48 15.1% 56% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kalyani

$61 19.3% 35.2% $33

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kalyani

$68 21.5% 12.1% $9.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kalyani

$4.6 1.4% 92.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kalyani

$13 4.2% 73.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in Kalyani. 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 94% 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 $14 in Kalyani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $101 – making Kalyani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Kalyani

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,600

💱 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 = 9.41 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kalyani 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kalyani

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 Kalyani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 195% more than Kalyani, 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 $476 in Kalyani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalyani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $50 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $19 in Kalyani. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Kalyani – 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 Kalyani. 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.