Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ludhiana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ludhiana: $488 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Ludhiana
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Ludhiana Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ludhiana

🇮🇳 India

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $488 in Ludhiana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ludhiana $488

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $784 in Ludhiana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ludhiana $784

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,080 in Ludhiana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ludhiana $1,080

Chiang Mai costs about 92% more than Ludhiana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.48 ₹332

-35.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$10.67 ₹1,016

78.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.58 ₹341

55.03%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.93 ₹184

-13.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.40 ₹38.34

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.25 ₹23.90

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.70 ₹162

38.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.52 ₹335

3.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.74 ₹70.7

163.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.51 ₹48.13

182.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.78 ₹73.9

70.51%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.86 ₹81.9

165.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$3.99 ₹379

312.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.09 ₹294

-10.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.10 ₹200

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.58 ₹55.3

67.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.82 ₹77.6

95.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.38 ₹36.53

294.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.26 ₹24.69

392.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.32 ₹30.69

243.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.43 ₹41.24

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.32 ₹30.92

53.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.48 ₹331

18.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$12.37 ₹1,178

41.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.83 ₹174

-12.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.05 ₹291

-8.85%

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

$8.39 ₹798

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.55 ₹52.0

58.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$15.78 ₹1,502

242.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.55 ₹147

-25.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.44 ₹41.72

20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.15 ₹204

12.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.10 ₹105

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$13.4K ₹1.3M

57.56%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.0K ₹2.1M

22.27%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$52.5 ₹4,995

18.49%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.10 ₹295

292.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$5.81 ₹554

246.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$15.33 ₹1,460

143.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.48 ₹427

-15.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.61 ₹344

79.78%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$72.3 ₹6,882

918.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,443 ₹137.4K

923.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$21.69 ₹2,065

146.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$40.15 ₹3,823

-38.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$70.1 ₹6,671

30.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$36.40 ₹3,465

97.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$171 ₹16.3K

182.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$114 ₹10.8K

171.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$433 ₹41.2K

132.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$307 ₹29.2K

106.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$880 ₹83.8K

168.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$679 ₹64.6K

134.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$423 ₹40.3K

39.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.17

-39.26%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ludhiana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ludhiana

$114 23.3% 63.1% $195

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ludhiana

$113 23.1% 51.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ludhiana

$76 15.5% 30.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ludhiana

$61 12.6% 35% $33

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ludhiana

$80 16.4% 3% $2.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ludhiana

$22 4.5% 64.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ludhiana

$23 4.6% 55.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $171 in Ludhiana. 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 39% 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 $11 in Ludhiana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $113 – making Ludhiana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Ludhiana

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,232,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ludhiana 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ludhiana

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 Ludhiana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 92% more than Ludhiana, 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 $732 in Ludhiana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ludhiana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $171 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $72 in Ludhiana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% 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 $488 in Ludhiana, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ludhiana – 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 Ludhiana. 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.