Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Karachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Karachi: $495 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Karachi
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Karachi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Karachi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $495 in Karachi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Karachi $495

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $770 in Karachi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Karachi $770

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,046 in Karachi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Karachi $1,046

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Karachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Karachi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Karachi 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.21 PKR 610

1.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$12.87 PKR 3,559

47.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.27 PKR 1,458

5.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 PKR 597

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 PKR 2,035

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.16 PKR 598

-22.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.38 PKR 106

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.25 PKR 69.2

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.90 PKR 248

116.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.52 PKR 143

176.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.20 PKR 331

10.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.25 PKR 345

82.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$5.82 PKR 1,609

182.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.11 PKR 860

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.53 PKR 1,805

42.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.28 PKR 354

83.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.54 PKR 149

79.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.02 PKR 282

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.56 PKR 155

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.34 PKR 94.9

276.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.31 PKR 86.9

254.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.41 PKR 113

73.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.43 PKR 120

13.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.28 PKR 355

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 PKR 367

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 PKR 678

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.78 PKR 492

132.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.28 PKR 77.1

210.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$11.70 PKR 3,235

362.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.92 PKR 254

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.73 PKR 203

-27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.22 PKR 614

9.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.33 PKR 369

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$18.3K PKR 5.0M

15.34%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$26.4K PKR 7.3M

2.12%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$112 PKR 31.0K

-44.58%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$5.99 PKR 1,655

103.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$13.18 PKR 3,645

52.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$24.67 PKR 6,820

51.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$18.29 PKR 5,057

-79.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.34 PKR 1,200

49.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$67.2 PKR 18.6K

995.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,915 PKR 529.4K

671.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$17.61 PKR 4,869

203.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$22.03 PKR 6,091

11.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$68.3 PKR 18.9K

33.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$40.66 PKR 11.2K

76.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$136 PKR 37.6K

254.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

276.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$392 PKR 108.4K

156.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$207 PKR 57.2K

206.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,046 PKR 289.2K

125.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$482 PKR 133.1K

229.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$184 PKR 51.0K

219.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.21

-57.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karachi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Karachi

$82 16.6% 73.4% $227

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Karachi

$102 20.5% 56.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Karachi

$67 13.5% 38.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Karachi

$131 26.6% 39% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Karachi

$62 12.5% 20.1% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Karachi

$17 3.5% 71.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Karachi

$33 6.7% 33.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $136 in Karachi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $13 in Karachi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $102 – making Karachi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Karachi

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,910,352

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 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

Lowest

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Karachi 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Karachi

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 Karachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Karachi, 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 $742 in Karachi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karachi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $67 in Karachi. 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $495 in Karachi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Karachi – 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 Karachi. 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.