Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nuh

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuh: $358 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Nuh
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Nuh Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Nuh

🇮🇳 India

$358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $358 in Nuh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Nuh $358

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $584 in Nuh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Nuh $584

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $811 in Nuh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Nuh $811

Chiang Mai costs about 162% more than Nuh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nuh are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Nuh 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.15 ₹204

5.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$11.28 ₹1,071

70.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$3.67 ₹349

52.32%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.85 ₹175

-7.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.37 ₹34.70

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.16 ₹15.01

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.02 ₹192

16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.12 ₹297

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.66 ₹62.3

210.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.48 ₹45.68

191.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.64 ₹60.6

100.00%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$0.94 ₹89.1

139.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$4.60 ₹436

268.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.85 ₹271

-3.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.85 ₹175

29.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.62 ₹59.2

62.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.89 ₹84.3

80.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.44 ₹41.52

245.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.34 ₹31.97

276.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.37 ₹34.68

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.47 ₹44.53

53.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.31 ₹29.90

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$5.08 ₹482

-14.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.18 ₹682

146.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.59 ₹151

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.64 ₹251

7.95%

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

$4.98 ₹473

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.28 ₹26.23

203.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$8.37 ₹795

543.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.96 ₹91.0

21.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.26 ₹24.37

119.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.79 ₹170

32.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.96 ₹91.6

51.04%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$12.0K ₹1.1M

71.13%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$17.5K ₹1.7M

51.86%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$30.84 ₹2,928

102.11%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$3.07 ₹292

299.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$5.99 ₹569

233.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$15.20 ₹1,443

149.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$5.77 ₹548

-34.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$2.61 ₹248

157.09%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$49.50 ₹4,701

1510.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$1,528 ₹145.1K

870.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$21.86 ₹2,075

143.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$24.52 ₹2,328

2.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$42.72 ₹4,057

114.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$30.04 ₹2,853

144.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$126 ₹12.0K

267.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$63.8 ₹6,059

377.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$291 ₹27.7K

214.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$175 ₹16.6K

215.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$989 ₹93.9K

93.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$535 ₹50.8K

168.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.86

-37.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nuh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Nuh

$64 17.8% 79.1% $241

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Nuh

$99 27.8% 58.2% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Nuh

$54 15% 51.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Nuh

$40 11.2% 57.8% $55

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Nuh

$69 19.2% 13% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Nuh

$12 3.3% 80.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Nuh

$20 5.7% 60.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $126 in Nuh. 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 $11.00 in Nuh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $99.0 – making Nuh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Nuh

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

16,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Nuh 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nuh

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 Nuh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 162% more than Nuh, 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 $536 in Nuh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nuh, 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 $49.50 in Nuh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 139% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nuh, where all-in costs run around $358, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Nuh 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. Nuh costs $358 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 Nuh. 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.