Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mandvi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandvi: $364 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Mandvi
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Mandvi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Mandvi

🇮🇳 India

$364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $364 in Mandvi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Mandvi $364

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $580 in Mandvi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Mandvi $580

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $797 in Mandvi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Mandvi $797

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Mandvi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mandvi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mandvi 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$2.16 ₹204

-1.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$9.26 ₹878

101.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$2.55 ₹242

119.61%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.67 ₹158

-0.60%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.31 ₹28.99

109.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.13 ₹12.14

130.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.32 ₹220

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.63 ₹343

1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.65 ₹61.8

210.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$0.51 ₹48.05

176.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$0.59 ₹56.3

135.59%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.72 ₹68.5

229.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$4.56 ₹432

262.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.30 ₹313

-19.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.72 ₹163

39.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.65 ₹61.5

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.98 ₹93.2

69.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.76 ₹71.7

105.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.55 ₹52.0

125.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.59 ₹55.5

84.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.53 ₹50.6

43.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.30 ₹28.77

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.12 ₹485

-19.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$10.40 ₹985

72.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.55 ₹242

-36.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.10 ₹294

-9.03%

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

$5.76 ₹546

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.23 ₹21.80

304.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$7.12 ₹674

642.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$0.77 ₹72.8

53.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.22 ₹20.86

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.60 ₹152

13.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.08 ₹103

36.11%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

89.26%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$19.6K ₹1.9M

35.55%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$30.62 ₹2,901

104.31%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$3.17 ₹300

265.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$5.20 ₹493

290.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$13.93 ₹1,320

171.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$6.75 ₹640

-45.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$3.12 ₹295

108.65%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$85.8 ₹8,125

747.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$1,749 ₹165.7K

847.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$17.09 ₹1,619

213.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$21.24 ₹2,012

16.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$23.84 ₹2,259

279.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$20.52 ₹1,944

250.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$121 ₹11.5K

297.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$76.7 ₹7,263

304.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$268 ₹25.4K

295.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$190 ₹18.0K

246.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$931 ₹88.2K

159.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$541 ₹51.3K

197.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.12

-44.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mandvi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Mandvi

$77 21.1% 75.3% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Mandvi

$116 31.8% 51.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Mandvi

$37 10.2% 65.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mandvi

$39 10.7% 58.7% $55

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Mandvi

$66 18% 14.3% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Mandvi

$9.9 2.7% 83.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Mandvi

$20 5.5% 60.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Mandvi. 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 Mandvi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $116 – making Mandvi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Mandvi

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

11:59 11:59 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

42,355

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.74 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Mandvi 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mandvi

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 Mandvi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Mandvi, 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 $546 in Mandvi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mandvi, 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 $86 in Mandvi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 105% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Mandvi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 61% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.