Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Okara

For one person, living is cheaper in Okara: $502 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Okara
Learn more

Okara Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Okara

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $502 in Okara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Okara $502

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $766 in Okara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Okara $766

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,031 in Okara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Okara $1,031

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Okara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Okara are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Okara 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.46 PKR 681

-8.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$14.68 PKR 4,062

29.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.61 PKR 1,553

-1.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 PKR 1,004

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.32 PKR 1,471

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.61 PKR 722

-36.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.41 PKR 113

56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.26 PKR 72.5

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.64 PKR 177

204.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.73 PKR 201

97.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.17 PKR 324

13.68%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.20 PKR 331

90.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.25 PKR 1,729

163.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.45 PKR 679

13.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.97 PKR 1,374

87.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.18 PKR 327

99.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.65 PKR 179

49.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.83 PKR 231

92.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.59 PKR 162

154.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.29 PKR 79.5

341.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.36 PKR 98.6

205.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.48 PKR 133

47.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.38 PKR 105

28.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.11 PKR 306

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 PKR 171

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 PKR 477

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.13 PKR 591

94.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.18 PKR 49.45

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$9.77 PKR 2,704

453.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.92 PKR 254

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.70 PKR 193

-24.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.76 PKR 487

37.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.88 PKR 244

64.77%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$18.0K PKR 5.0M

16.88%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$23.9K PKR 6.6M

12.77%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$127 PKR 35.2K

-51.10%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.66 PKR 1,565

115.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$16.14 PKR 4,467

24.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$15.19 PKR 4,203

145.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.91 PKR 2,190

-52.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.24 PKR 1,172

53.07%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$14.17 PKR 3,921

5095.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,054 PKR 568.3K

618.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$17.53 PKR 4,850

204.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$27.71 PKR 7,667

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$72.3 PKR 20.0K

26.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$33.39 PKR 9,239

115.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$118 PKR 32.7K

307.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$82.9 PKR 22.9K

272.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$251 PKR 69.5K

300.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$203 PKR 56.2K

212.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$808 PKR 223.5K

192.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$564 PKR 156.0K

181.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿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 26, 2026

Last update for Okara: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Okara

$83 16.5% 73.2% $226

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Okara

$93 18.6% 60.3% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Okara

$68 13.5% 37.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Okara

$149 29.7% 57.7% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Okara

$70 14% 9.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Okara

$15 3% 75.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Okara

$24 4.7% 52.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $118 in Okara. 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 $15 in Okara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $93 – making Okara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Okara

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

02:54 2:54 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

357,935

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Okara 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Okara

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 Okara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Okara, 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 $753 in Okara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $14.17 in Okara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 152% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Okara is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.