Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mandi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandi: $386 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Mandi
Learn more

Mandi Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Mandi

🇮🇳 India

$386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $386 in Mandi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Mandi $386

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $589 in Mandi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Mandi $589

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $791 in Mandi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Mandi $791

Chiang Mai costs about 142% more than Mandi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mandi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mandi 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$1.08 ₹102

97.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$10.69 ₹1,012

74.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.68 ₹349

52.17%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$0.86 ₹81.1

93.02%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.34 ₹32.67

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.13 ₹11.91

130.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.89 ₹179

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.58 ₹244

42.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.60 ₹56.6

236.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.51 ₹47.90

176.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.73 ₹69.6

90.41%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.88 ₹83.4

169.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$2.50 ₹237

560.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.06 ₹195

29.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.08 ₹102

122.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.72 ₹68.1

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.54 ₹51.6

207.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.31 ₹29.30

403.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.28 ₹26.17

342.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.34 ₹32.52

220.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.33 ₹31.60

130.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.22 ₹20.87

131.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.09 ₹483

-19.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.31 ₹788

115.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.49 ₹141

8.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.05 ₹194

37.56%

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

$4.96 ₹469

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.21 ₹20.28

342.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$7.06 ₹669

649.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.09 ₹103

8.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.33 ₹31.40

-48.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.35 ₹128

34.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.02 ₹96.4

44.12%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

88.44%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$18.3K ₹1.7M

44.72%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$65.7 ₹6,228

-4.84%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$3.73 ₹354

210.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$7.34 ₹696

176.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$14.59 ₹1,382

159.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$6.72 ₹637

-44.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$3.75 ₹355

73.60%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$50.4 ₹4,775

1342.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$1,553 ₹147.1K

967.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$25.21 ₹2,388

112.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$27.81 ₹2,634

-10.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$38.75 ₹3,671

133.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$39.63 ₹3,754

81.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$107 ₹10.1K

350.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$88.9 ₹8,417

248.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$275 ₹26.0K

285.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$194 ₹18.4K

238.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$923 ₹87.4K

161.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$471 ₹44.6K

241.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$427 ₹40.4K

39.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mandi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Mandi

$89 23% 71.3% $221

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Mandi

$82 21.3% 65.2% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Mandi

$59 15.3% 45.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mandi

$77 19.9% 18.7% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Mandi

$46 12% 39.3% $30

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Mandi

$11 2.8% 81.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Mandi

$22 5.7% 56.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $107 in Mandi. 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 Mandi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $82 – making Mandi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Mandi

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mandi 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mandi

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 Mandi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 142% more than Mandi, 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 $580 in Mandi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mandi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $107 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $50 in Mandi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 187% 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 $386 in Mandi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mandi – 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 Mandi. 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.