Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lahore

For one person, living is cheaper in Lahore: $510 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Lahore
Learn more

Lahore Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Lahore

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $510 in Lahore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Lahore $510

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $777 in Lahore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Lahore $777

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,045 in Lahore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Lahore $1,045

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Lahore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Lahore are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Lahore 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$2.49 PKR 688

-14.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$15.33 PKR 4,237

21.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.75 PKR 1,589

-2.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 PKR 1,024

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 PKR 1,525

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.53 PKR 699

-34.39%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.38 PKR 104

71.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.26 PKR 72.3

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.91 PKR 250

121.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.75 PKR 206

88.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.19 PKR 328

16.81%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.20 PKR 333

97.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$5.99 PKR 1,656

175.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$2.57 PKR 709

3.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$4.85 PKR 1,341

85.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.20 PKR 333

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.67 PKR 185

55.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.83 PKR 230

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.67 PKR 184

132.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.30 PKR 82.6

313.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.35 PKR 97.2

211.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.45 PKR 124

68.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.37 PKR 103

37.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.06 PKR 294

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 PKR 170

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 PKR 478

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.11 PKR 584

95.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.18 PKR 50.7

416.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$6.15 PKR 1,699

760.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$0.88 PKR 244

34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.73 PKR 203

-76.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.78 PKR 491

1.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.39 PKR 384

5.76%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$17.9K PKR 4.9M

17.57%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$24.8K PKR 6.9M

6.91%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$120 PKR 33.1K

-47.74%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$5.53 PKR 1,528

109.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$16.47 PKR 4,553

23.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$22.27 PKR 6,154

70.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$10.64 PKR 2,941

-65.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$4.58 PKR 1,267

42.14%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$99.4 PKR 27.5K

631.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$5,418 PKR 1.5M

205.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$17.55 PKR 4,849

205.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$23.79 PKR 6,575

4.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$72.8 PKR 20.1K

24.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$30.32 PKR 8,379

137.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$173 PKR 47.7K

178.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$94.5 PKR 26.1K

228.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$344 PKR 95.2K

207.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$209 PKR 57.9K

214.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$818 PKR 226.2K

195.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$585 PKR 161.6K

175.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$193 PKR 53.3K

208.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.94

-60.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lahore: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Lahore

$94 18.5% 69.5% $215

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Lahore

$96 18.8% 59.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Lahore

$65 12.7% 40% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lahore

$142 27.8% 50% $47

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Lahore

$70 13.7% 8.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Lahore

$11 2.2% 80.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Lahore

$31 6.2% 38.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $173 in Lahore. 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 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $15 in Lahore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $96 – making Lahore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Lahore

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,126,285

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Lahore 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lahore

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 Lahore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Lahore, 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 $765 in Lahore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lahore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $173 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $99 in Lahore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 146% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $510 in Lahore, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Lahore – 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 Lahore. 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.