Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kanpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanpur: $346 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Kanpur
Learn more

Kanpur Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kanpur

🇮🇳 India

$346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $346 in Kanpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kanpur $346

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $557 in Kanpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kanpur $557

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $767 in Kanpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kanpur $767

Chiang Mai costs about 170% more than Kanpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.12 ₹202

5.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$8.61 ₹818

120.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.22 ₹305

72.36%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.59 ₹151

5.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.32 ₹30.50

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.10 ₹9.05

210.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.27 ₹121

85.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.70 ₹256

35.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.74 ₹70.5

163.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.48 ₹45.47

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.76 ₹72.2

75.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.84 ₹79.7

171.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.56 ₹338

362.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.48 ₹236

12.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.59 ₹151

47.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.60 ₹56.6

61.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.99 ₹93.7

61.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.50 ₹47.00

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.26 ₹24.71

392.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.39 ₹36.60

182.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.47 ₹45.08

51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.28 ₹26.46

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.72 ₹448

-12.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.14 ₹678

145.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.56 ₹148

3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.37 ₹225

17.30%

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

$6.43 ₹610

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.43 ₹40.83

102.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$6.40 ₹607

745.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.71 ₹67.4

63.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.28 ₹26.80

89.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.06 ₹101

128.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.10 ₹105

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

88.65%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.6K ₹1.9M

37.70%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$43.68 ₹4,147

42.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.22 ₹306

277.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$5.46 ₹518

268.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$13.56 ₹1,287

175.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.22 ₹590

-39.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.11 ₹296

108.68%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$54.1 ₹5,136

1260.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$6,113 ₹580.3K

141.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$25.13 ₹2,386

112.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.41 ₹2,697

-13.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$36.97 ₹3,510

147.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$15.70 ₹1,491

358.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$103 ₹9,750

369.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$63.3 ₹6,010

387.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$292 ₹27.7K

244.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$180 ₹17.1K

252.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$932 ₹88.5K

153.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$594 ₹56.4K

167.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$302 ₹28.7K

95.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.55

-34.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kanpur: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kanpur

$63 18.3% 79.5% $246

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kanpur

$93 27% 60.2% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kanpur

$48 13.8% 56% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kanpur

$52 15.1% 44.6% $42

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kanpur

$59 17.1% 23.8% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kanpur

$10 3% 83.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kanpur

$20 5.7% 60.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $103 in Kanpur. 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 95% 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 $9 in Kanpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $93 – making Kanpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Kanpur

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,767,031

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kanpur 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kanpur

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 Kanpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 170% more than Kanpur, 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 $519 in Kanpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kanpur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $103 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $54 in Kanpur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 151% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Kanpur – 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 Kanpur. 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.