Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Machilipatnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Machilipatnam: $380 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Machilipatnam
Learn more

Machilipatnam Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Machilipatnam

🇮🇳 India

$380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $380 in Machilipatnam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Machilipatnam $380

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $604 in Machilipatnam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Machilipatnam $604

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $828 in Machilipatnam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Machilipatnam $828

Chiang Mai costs about 146% more than Machilipatnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Machilipatnam are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Machilipatnam 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$2.08 ₹197

2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$8.56 ₹811

117.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.64 ₹440

20.69%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.75 ₹166

-5.14%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.30 ₹28.88

116.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.09 ₹8.20

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.12 ₹201

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.17 ₹300

15.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.70 ₹65.9

188.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.58 ₹54.5

143.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.65 ₹61.3

113.85%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.81 ₹76.7

192.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$5.56 ₹527

197.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.12 ₹296

-14.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.42 ₹229

-0.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.67 ₹63.2

55.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.08 ₹102

53.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.38 ₹35.80

310.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.36 ₹34.46

244.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.40 ₹37.55

172.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.60 ₹56.6

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.32 ₹30.34

59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.61 ₹436

-10.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.95 ₹848

100.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.72 ₹163

-5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.10 ₹293

-9.03%

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

$4.48 ₹424

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.23 ₹21.79

304.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$7.23 ₹685

631.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.02 ₹96.9

15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.20 ₹18.73

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.66 ₹252

-31.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.13 ₹108

30.09%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

86.08%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$22.3K ₹2.1M

18.67%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$32.66 ₹3,093

91.55%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$3.53 ₹334

228.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$5.12 ₹485

296.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$14.27 ₹1,352

165.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$6.53 ₹618

-43.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$2.70 ₹256

141.11%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$48.70 ₹4,614

1392.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$1,579 ₹149.6K

949.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$22.82 ₹2,162

134.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$20.78 ₹1,969

19.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$30.88 ₹2,926

192.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$31.71 ₹3,004

126.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$121 ₹11.5K

296.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$76.7 ₹7,268

303.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$264 ₹25.0K

300.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$189 ₹17.9K

249.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$919 ₹87.0K

163.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$522 ₹49.4K

208.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.58

-35.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Machilipatnam: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Machilipatnam

$77 20.2% 75.2% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Machilipatnam

$114 30% 51.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Machilipatnam

$48 12.6% 55.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Machilipatnam

$41 10.9% 56.3% $53

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Machilipatnam

$70 18.5% 8.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Machilipatnam

$10 2.7% 82.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Machilipatnam

$20 5.2% 61.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Machilipatnam. 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 $9 in Machilipatnam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $114 – making Machilipatnam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Machilipatnam

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

169,892

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.73 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Machilipatnam 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Machilipatnam

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 Machilipatnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 146% more than Machilipatnam, 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 $569 in Machilipatnam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Machilipatnam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $49 in Machilipatnam. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai and $380 in Machilipatnam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Machilipatnam is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 59% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.