Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kasur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kasur: $477 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Kasur
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$477
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $477 in Kasur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $925
  • Kasur $477

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $670 in Kasur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,414
  • Kasur $670

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $862 in Kasur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,903
  • Kasur $862

Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Kasur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kasur are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Kasur 65% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.29 ฿76.5
$1.09 PKR 303
110.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.64 ฿656
$7.11 PKR 1,969
176.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.61 ฿188
$5.45 PKR 1,508
2.94%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.67 PKR 739
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.35 PKR 1,482
-
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿55.6
$1.80 PKR 498
-7.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 ฿23.40
$0.30 PKR 83.1
133.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.24
$0.20 PKR 56.4
55.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.41 ฿80.4
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.71 ฿124
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.3
$0.72 PKR 200
170.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.03
$0.38 PKR 104
271.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.31 ฿43.62
$0.94 PKR 259
39.36%
Eggs
$2.18 ฿72.9
$0.85 PKR 234
156.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.65 ฿556
$3.52 PKR 975
373.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.76 ฿92.2
$2.42 PKR 670
14.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.11 ฿304
$3.55 PKR 982
156.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.0
$0.68 PKR 190
251.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 ฿34.26
$0.49 PKR 137
110.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 ฿54.4
$0.72 PKR 198
126.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.0
$0.34 PKR 95.4
341.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 ฿43.13
$0.39 PKR 109
230.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.03
$0.34 PKR 94.8
226.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.08
$0.50 PKR 137
44.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.59
$0.37 PKR 104
43.24%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.82 PKR 505
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.06 PKR 295
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.44 PKR 677
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.31 ฿144
$0.87 PKR 242
395.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.95 ฿600
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 ฿52.9
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.0
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿28.86
$0.21 PKR 57.0
309.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.3 ฿1,780
$9.97 PKR 2,758
434.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 ฿40.29
$1.40 PKR 387
-13.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿18.99
$0.35 PKR 96.5
62.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 ฿78.6
$0.86 PKR 237
173.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 ฿47.96
$1.14 PKR 315
26.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K ฿692.8K
$24.9K PKR 6.9M
-16.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K ฿895.7K
$26.3K PKR 7.3M
1.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,083
$147 PKR 40.7K
-57.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.11 ฿405
$5.05 PKR 1,398
139.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.94 ฿666
$18.82 PKR 5,209
5.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.07 ฿1,239
$15.01 PKR 4,153
146.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.78 ฿126
$8.14 PKR 2,253
-53.56%
Cinema Ticket
$6.50 ฿217
$4.39 PKR 1,216
48.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$793 ฿26.5K
$42.57 PKR 11.8K
1761.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿494.9K
$1,001 PKR 277.2K
1378.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 ฿1,796
$17.85 PKR 4,941
201.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.62 ฿823
$19.10 PKR 5,287
28.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 ฿3,036
$93.8 PKR 25.9K
-3.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.1 ฿2,378
$25.81 PKR 7,144
175.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 ฿15.2K
$128 PKR 35.6K
254.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 ฿9,954
$78.3 PKR 21.7K
280.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 ฿30.4K
$256 PKR 70.8K
254.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$554 ฿18.5K
$147 PKR 40.7K
276.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,931 ฿64.5K
$931 PKR 257.8K
107.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.3K
$477 PKR 132.0K
202.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Kasur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$591 ฿19.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
13
-57.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kasur: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$298
Kasur
$78 73.7% $219
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$235
Kasur
$71 70% $165
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Kasur
$70 34.9% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Kasur
$171 81.1% $77
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
Kasur
$49 38% $30
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Kasur
$14 77.1% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Kasur
$24 52.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $128 in Kasur. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $7.00 in Kasur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $71.0 – making Kasur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇵🇰 Kasur
🕒 Local time
18:38 6:38 PM
16:38 4:38 PM
2 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
358,409
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Kasur 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Kasur

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 Kasur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Kasur?
Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Kasur, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Kasur?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $715 in Kasur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Kasur?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kasur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Kasur?
Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $42.57 in Kasur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Kasur?
Groceries cost about 233% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Chiang Mai or in Kasur?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kasur, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Kasur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Kasur?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kasur costs $477 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Kasur?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Kasur?
If budget matters most, go with Kasur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?