Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Patna

For one person, living is cheaper in Patna: $368 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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 Patna
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Patna Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Patna

🇮🇳 India

$368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $368 in Patna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Patna $368

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $605 in Patna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Patna $605

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $842 in Patna, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Patna $842

Chiang Mai costs about 154% more than Patna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Patna are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Patna 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.04 ₹194

9.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$9.33 ₹889

103.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.06 ₹291

81.37%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.65 ₹157

1.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.35 ₹33.79

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.17 ₹16.24

82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.90 ₹181

24.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$6.00 ₹572

-39.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.60 ₹57.4

225.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.43 ₹41.03

234.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.53 ₹50.2

150.94%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.95 ₹90.6

140.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.73 ₹641

144.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.17 ₹206

28.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.35 ₹129

74.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.68 ₹64.8

42.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.05 ₹100.0

52.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.45 ₹42.78

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.33 ₹31.27

287.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.49 ₹46.78

124.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.44 ₹41.80

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.29 ₹27.64

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.10 ₹486

-18.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.32 ₹601

177.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.59 ₹151

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.08 ₹198

33.65%

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

$6.63 ₹631

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.33 ₹31.50

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$4.82 ₹459

1022.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.28 ₹121

-9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.16 ₹15.17

231.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.12 ₹202

14.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.10 ₹104

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

88.87%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$27.0K ₹2.6M

-0.38%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$44.79 ₹4,264

38.80%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$2.94 ₹279

313.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$6.46 ₹615

211.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$21.52 ₹2,049

73.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.17 ₹1,159

-69.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.38 ₹322

92.01%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$54.5 ₹5,190

1250.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,713 ₹163.1K

761.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$23.86 ₹2,272

123.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$29.25 ₹2,785

-15.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$37.98 ₹3,616

140.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$34.04 ₹3,241

111.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$82.0 ₹7,803

488.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$56.1 ₹5,342

450.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$280 ₹26.6K

259.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$184 ₹17.5K

243.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,195 ₹113.7K

97.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$564 ₹53.7K

181.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$342 ₹32.5K

72.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.46

-41.12%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Patna: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Patna

$56 15.2% 81.8% $253

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Patna

$97 26.2% 58.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Patna

$56 15.3% 48.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Patna

$54 14.7% 42.6% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Patna

$69 18.7% 11.2% $8.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Patna

$8.2 2.2% 86.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Patna

$28 7.7% 43.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $82 in Patna. 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 73% 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 $9 in Patna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $96 – making Patna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Patna

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

06:33 6:33 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

500,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Patna 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Patna

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 Patna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 154% more than Patna, 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 $553 in Patna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Patna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $55 in Patna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 143% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Patna – 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 Patna. 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.