Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Moradabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Moradabad: $333 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Moradabad
Learn more

Moradabad Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Moradabad

🇮🇳 India

$333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $333 in Moradabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Moradabad $333

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $563 in Moradabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Moradabad $563

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $792 in Moradabad, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Moradabad $792

Chiang Mai costs about 181% more than Moradabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Moradabad are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Moradabad 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.04 ₹194

9.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$13.00 ₹1,237

46.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.08 ₹293

80.19%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.77 ₹168

-5.65%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.47 ₹44.76

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.16 ₹15.32

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.15 ₹204

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.87 ₹178

95.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.69 ₹65.2

182.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.44 ₹41.93

227.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.77 ₹72.9

72.73%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.84 ₹80.1

171.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.67 ₹349

348.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.43 ₹326

-18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.68 ₹160

39.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.74 ₹70.3

31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.46 ₹43.43

247.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.45 ₹43.00

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.31 ₹29.81

312.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.48 ₹45.55

129.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.31 ₹29.05

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.27 ₹25.80

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.92 ₹468

-15.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.43 ₹611

172.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.90 ₹181

-15.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.13 ₹298

-11.18%

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

$3.36 ₹320

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.22 ₹20.96

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$5.40 ₹514

901.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.13 ₹107

2.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.12 ₹11.87

341.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.08 ₹198

16.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.12 ₹106

29.46%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.9K ₹1.1M

77.24%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$22.7K ₹2.2M

18.51%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$33.03 ₹3,142

88.22%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.27 ₹406

185.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$7.83 ₹745

156.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$12.77 ₹1,215

192.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.32 ₹982

-63.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.66 ₹253

143.98%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$53.3 ₹5,073

1280.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,383 ₹131.5K

967.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$20.65 ₹1,964

158.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$27.89 ₹2,652

-11.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$31.16 ₹2,963

193.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$33.91 ₹3,225

112.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$75.7 ₹7,196

537.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$49.07 ₹4,667

529.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$158 ₹15.0K

537.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$169 ₹16.1K

275.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,002 ₹95.3K

135.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$622 ₹59.1K

155.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$354 ₹33.7K

66.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.27

-23.38%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Moradabad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Moradabad

$49 14.7% 84.1% $260

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Moradabad

$98 29.4% 58.3% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Moradabad

$51 15.4% 52.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Moradabad

$45 13.6% 52.2% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Moradabad

$64 19.1% 17.8% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Moradabad

$8 2.4% 86.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Moradabad

$18 5.4% 64% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $76 in Moradabad. 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 67% 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 $13 in Moradabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $98 – making Moradabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Moradabad

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

721,139

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Moradabad 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Moradabad

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 Moradabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 181% more than Moradabad, 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 $499 in Moradabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Moradabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $76 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $53 in Moradabad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 140% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $333 in Moradabad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Moradabad – 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 Moradabad. 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.