Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Larkana

For one person, living is cheaper in Larkana: $454 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Larkana
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Larkana Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Larkana

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $454 in Larkana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Larkana $454

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $685 in Larkana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Larkana $685

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $915 in Larkana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Larkana $915

Chiang Mai costs about 106% more than Larkana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Larkana are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Larkana 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$2.11 PKR 582

0.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$10.77 PKR 2,977

72.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$5.47 PKR 1,511

2.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 PKR 716

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 PKR 1,407

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.67 PKR 461

-0.60%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.34 PKR 94.1

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.20 PKR 55.0

50.00%

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

$0.81 PKR 225

149.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.60 PKR 165

135.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.13 PKR 312

23.01%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.14 PKR 315

107.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$5.82 PKR 1,608

183.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$2.49 PKR 688

7.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$4.99 PKR 1,380

80.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.12 PKR 309

114.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.54 PKR 150

92.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.80 PKR 220

107.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.53 PKR 146

194.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.28 PKR 76.6

342.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.38 PKR 105

186.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.41 PKR 113

85.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.37 PKR 102

37.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 PKR 501

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 PKR 653

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.01 PKR 557

104.98%

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

$0.19 PKR 53.2

389.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$10.10 PKR 2,792

423.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$1.05 PKR 291

12.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.68 PKR 189

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.61 PKR 445

12.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.18 PKR 327

24.58%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$21.5K PKR 5.9M

-2.09%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

12.81%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$101 PKR 27.8K

-37.90%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$5.48 PKR 1,513

111.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$14.21 PKR 3,927

42.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$15.17 PKR 4,193

149.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$8.18 PKR 2,260

-54.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$4.31 PKR 1,191

51.04%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$42.14 PKR 11.6K

1625.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$1,051 PKR 290.4K

1477.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$16.71 PKR 4,619

220.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$22.01 PKR 6,083

12.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$67.7 PKR 18.7K

33.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$32.72 PKR 9,042

119.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$136 PKR 37.6K

253.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$86.4 PKR 23.9K

258.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$266 PKR 73.4K

298.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$182 PKR 50.2K

262.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$804 PKR 222.1K

200.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$498 PKR 137.6K

223.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Larkana: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Larkana

$86 19% 72.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Larkana

$90 19.9% 61.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Larkana

$63 13.8% 42.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Larkana

$120 26.5% 27.5% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Larkana

$55 12.2% 27.6% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Larkana

$15 3.4% 73.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Larkana

$24 5.2% 53.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $136 in Larkana. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Larkana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $90 – making Larkana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Larkana

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

490,508

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.68 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.37 THB (100 THB = 2.68 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Larkana 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Larkana

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 Larkana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 106% more than Larkana, 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 $682 in Larkana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Larkana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $42 in Larkana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 162% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Larkana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Larkana is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.