Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Manipal

For one person, living is cheaper in Manipal: $362 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Manipal
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Manipal Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Manipal

🇮🇳 India

$362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $362 in Manipal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Manipal $362

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $551 in Manipal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Manipal $551

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $740 in Manipal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Manipal $740

Chiang Mai costs about 159% more than Manipal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.61 ₹153

39.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$8.76 ₹832

116.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.56 ₹243

116.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.38 ₹131

21.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.33 ₹31.59

93.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.13 ₹12.56

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.39 ₹132

69.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.79 ₹170

104.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.46 ₹43.62

323.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.45 ₹42.92

220.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.41 ₹39.38

224.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.80 ₹75.6

185.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$2.12 ₹202

675.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.34 ₹222

18.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.14 ₹108

106.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.61 ₹57.8

59.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.81 ₹76.7

97.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.50 ₹47.42

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.37 ₹35.53

245.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.39 ₹36.83

182.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.11 ₹10.62

545.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.25 ₹23.63

96.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.30 ₹408

-3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.39 ₹512

225.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.75 ₹71.7

114.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.18 ₹207

27.52%

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

$3.19 ₹303

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.22 ₹20.92

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.81 ₹76.8

43.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.12 ₹11.01

341.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.07 ₹197

16.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.05 ₹99.6

38.10%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$10.4K ₹982.8K

103.46%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$20.0K ₹1.9M

34.45%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$55.8 ₹5,294

11.50%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.97 ₹282

309.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$5.94 ₹564

238.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$18.44 ₹1,751

102.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.63 ₹154

298.16%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$20.91 ₹1,986

3420.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$500 ₹47.5K

2851.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$12.80 ₹1,215

316.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.08 ₹2,666

-12.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$21.07 ₹2,001

334.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$26.45 ₹2,511

171.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$152 ₹14.4K

218.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$112 ₹10.7K

175.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$382 ₹36.3K

163.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$240 ₹22.8K

164.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$704 ₹66.8K

-16.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.37

-40.55%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manipal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Manipal

$112 31.1% 63.7% $197

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Manipal

$71 19.8% 69.5% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Manipal

$40 11% 63.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Manipal

$65 17.9% 31.5% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Manipal

$49 13.7% 36.3% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Manipal

$2.3 * 0.6% 96.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Manipal

$22 6% 56.9% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $152 in Manipal. 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 19% higher in Manipal, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $9 in Manipal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $71 – making Manipal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Manipal

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

34,370

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Manipal 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Manipal

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 Manipal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 159% more than Manipal, 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 $542 in Manipal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manipal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $152 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $9 in Manipal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 228% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manipal costs $362 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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