Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pakpattan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakpattan: $448 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Pakpattan
Learn more

Pakpattan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Pakpattan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$448

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $448 in Pakpattan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Pakpattan $448

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $646 in Pakpattan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Pakpattan $646

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $843 in Pakpattan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Pakpattan $843

Chiang Mai costs about 109% more than Pakpattan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pakpattan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pakpattan 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$1.24 PKR 342

71.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$10.78 PKR 2,981

72.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.28 PKR 1,460

6.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 PKR 1,423

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.77 PKR 489

-6.21%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.16 PKR 44.46

306.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.10 PKR 28.82

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$0.63 PKR 174

220.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.55 PKR 154

156.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.88 PKR 245

57.95%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.14 PKR 315

107.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.85 PKR 1,894

141.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$2.48 PKR 686

7.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$3.63 PKR 1,005

148.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$0.95 PKR 264

152.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.46 PKR 128

126.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$0.28 PKR 77.0

492.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.57 PKR 158

173.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.39 PKR 109

217.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.45 PKR 126

142.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.50 PKR 137

52.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.37 PKR 102

37.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.83 PKR 506

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 PKR 306

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PKR 674

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.14 PKR 593

92.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.18 PKR 50.1

416.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$9.75 PKR 2,696

442.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$1.42 PKR 394

-16.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.37 PKR 104

-54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.92 PKR 255

96.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.98 PKR 272

50.00%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$24.7K PKR 6.8M

-15.04%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$23.4K PKR 6.5M

13.54%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$142 PKR 39.3K

-55.94%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$4.93 PKR 1,363

135.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$18.98 PKR 5,251

6.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$14.85 PKR 4,107

155.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$8.04 PKR 2,225

-53.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.41 PKR 1,220

47.62%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$12.43 PKR 3,438

5748.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$995 PKR 275.2K

1566.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$10.72 PKR 2,965

399.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$12.57 PKR 3,476

97.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$24.84 PKR 6,872

263.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$14.18 PKR 3,922

407.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$137 PKR 37.9K

250.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$84.9 PKR 23.5K

265.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$263 PKR 72.7K

302.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$178 PKR 49.4K

269.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$806 PKR 223.0K

199.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$511 PKR 141.4K

214.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$110 PKR 30.5K

439.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pakpattan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Pakpattan

$85 19% 72.6% $225

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Pakpattan

$84 18.7% 64.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Pakpattan

$28 6.3% 74.1% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pakpattan

$166 37% 75.6% $71

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Pakpattan

$48 10.7% 37.3% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Pakpattan

$14 3.1% 76.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Pakpattan

$24 5.3% 53.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $137 in Pakpattan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Pakpattan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $84 – making Pakpattan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Pakpattan

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

23:21 11:21 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

176,693

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pakpattan 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pakpattan

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 Pakpattan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 109% more than Pakpattan, 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 $672 in Pakpattan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pakpattan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $12.43 in Pakpattan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 182% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Pakpattan, where all-in costs run around $448, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Pakpattan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pakpattan – 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 Pakpattan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.