Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mianwali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianwali: $415 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Mianwali
Learn more

Mianwali Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Mianwali

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $415 in Mianwali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Mianwali $415

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $602 in Mianwali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Mianwali $602

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $789 in Mianwali, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Mianwali $789

Chiang Mai costs about 126% more than Mianwali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mianwali are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Mianwali 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.56 PKR 707

-11.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$7.92 PKR 2,193

142.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.76 PKR 1,593

-2.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 PKR 1,022

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 PKR 1,536

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.05 PKR 292

63.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.24 PKR 66.1

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.19 PKR 52.1

73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.72 PKR 199

184.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.50 PKR 137

180.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.11 PKR 307

15.32%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.20 PKR 333

87.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.45 PKR 1,786

162.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$1.47 PKR 407

86.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$3.51 PKR 973

166.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.19 PKR 330

101.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.70 PKR 194

44.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.75 PKR 207

114.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.45 PKR 125

237.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.30 PKR 82.1

326.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.35 PKR 97.9

217.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.51 PKR 141

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.37 PKR 103

40.54%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.10 PKR 305

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 PKR 182

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 PKR 479

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.11 PKR 307

290.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.19 PKR 51.6

347.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$9.47 PKR 2,622

469.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.75 PKR 208

56.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.37 PKR 103

54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.86 PKR 515

27.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.23 PKR 340

17.89%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$18.3K PKR 5.1M

11.67%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$25.4K PKR 7.0M

4.42%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$109 PKR 30.1K

-42.75%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$3.32 PKR 919

269.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$16.25 PKR 4,497

22.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$8.04 PKR 2,225

371.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$8.24 PKR 2,281

-54.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$4.24 PKR 1,172

58.25%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$48.56 PKR 13.4K

1541.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$2,017 PKR 558.2K

635.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$13.37 PKR 3,701

298.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$14.16 PKR 3,919

76.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$72.3 PKR 20.0K

26.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$8.79 PKR 2,433

735.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$128 PKR 35.4K

262.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$74.0 PKR 20.5K

311.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$240 PKR 66.5K

280.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$141 PKR 39.0K

291.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,027 PKR 284.2K

86.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$424 PKR 117.5K

238.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.05

-60.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mianwali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Mianwali

$74 17.8% 75.7% $231

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Mianwali

$82 19.8% 65.5% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Mianwali

$49 11.8% 55.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Mianwali

$128 31% 35.8% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Mianwali

$52 12.6% 34.1% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Mianwali

$13 3.1% 79.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Mianwali

$17 4% 67.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $128 in Mianwali. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $8.00 in Mianwali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $82.0 – making Mianwali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Mianwali

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

12:39 12:39 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

118,883

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mianwali 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mianwali

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 Mianwali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 126% more than Mianwali, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $622 in Mianwali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mianwali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $48.56 in Mianwali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 189% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mianwali, where all-in costs run around $415, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Mianwali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mianwali costs $415 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mianwali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.