Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Port Blair

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $370 a month against $935 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 Port Blair
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Port Blair Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Port Blair

🇮🇳 India

$370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Port Blair

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $370 in Port Blair, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Port Blair $370

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $592 in Port Blair, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Port Blair $592

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $814 in Port Blair, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Port Blair $814

Chiang Mai costs about 153% more than Port Blair, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$2.06 ₹195

3.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$10.61 ₹1,005

75.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.76 ₹357

48.94%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.66 ₹157

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.38 ₹35.67

71.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.16 ₹14.92

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.78 ₹169

30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.96 ₹280

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.63 ₹59.2

220.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.47 ₹44.92

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.67 ₹63.7

107.46%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.92 ₹87.5

157.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$4.44 ₹421

272.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.89 ₹273

-7.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.93 ₹183

24.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.67 ₹63.5

55.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.92 ₹86.7

80.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.46 ₹43.29

239.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.32 ₹30.65

287.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.38 ₹35.54

186.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.47 ₹44.61

61.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.29 ₹27.07

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.18 ₹490

-20.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$7.20 ₹682

149.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.60 ₹151

1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.69 ₹255

4.83%

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

$4.96 ₹470

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.23 ₹21.81

304.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$6.92 ₹655

664.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.86 ₹81.2

37.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.27 ₹25.70

-37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.56 ₹147

16.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.12 ₹106

31.25%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

87.04%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$19.6K ₹1.9M

34.97%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$34.91 ₹3,307

79.20%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$3.39 ₹321

242.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$6.72 ₹636

202.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$14.26 ₹1,351

165.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$6.55 ₹620

-43.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.03 ₹382

61.54%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$46.80 ₹4,434

1453.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$1,452 ₹137.6K

1041.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$21.58 ₹2,044

148.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$23.89 ₹2,263

3.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$38.38 ₹3,636

135.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$28.52 ₹2,702

152.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$85.7 ₹8,115

461.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$77.8 ₹7,370

298.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$270 ₹25.6K

291.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$188 ₹17.8K

249.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$926 ₹87.7K

161.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$542 ₹51.3K

197.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$628 ₹59.5K

-5.32%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Port Blair: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Port Blair

$78 21% 74.9% $232

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Port Blair

$100 26.9% 57.9% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Port Blair

$51 13.7% 53.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Port Blair

$45 12.2% 52.3% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Port Blair

$65 17.5% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Port Blair

$10 2.7% 82.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Port Blair

$22 6% 56.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $86 in Port Blair. 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 6% higher in Port Blair, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Port Blair. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $100 – making Port Blair the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Port Blair

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

108,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.42 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.73 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Port Blair 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Port Blair

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 Port Blair: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 153% more than Port Blair, 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 $555 in Port Blair. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Blair, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $86 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $47 in Port Blair. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 138% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Port Blair is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 60% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.