Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Puri

For one person, living is cheaper in Puri: $348 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Puri
Learn more

Puri Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Puri

🇮🇳 India

$348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $348 in Puri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Puri $348

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $540 in Puri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Puri $540

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $733 in Puri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Puri $733

Chiang Mai costs about 169% more than Puri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Puri are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Puri 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.27 ₹121

76.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$5.21 ₹496

264.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.68 ₹255

107.09%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.45 ₹138

15.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.33 ₹31.43

93.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.08 ₹7.41

287.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.4

$1.04 ₹98.6

126.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.09 ₹294

18.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.6

$0.59 ₹56.5

230.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$0.30 ₹28.86

380.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.96

$0.47 ₹44.81

182.98%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿76.9

$0.85 ₹81.0

168.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$1.54 ₹147

968.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.7

$1.99 ₹189

39.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.56 ₹148

50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.54 ₹51.7

79.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.35 ₹129

18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.48 ₹45.28

212.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$0.25 ₹23.94

412.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$0.42 ₹39.96

161.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.78

$0.52 ₹49.55

36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.32 ₹30.51

53.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.08 ₹484

-18.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.90 ₹752

121.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.04 ₹99.0

54.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.12 ₹202

31.13%

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

$5.24 ₹499

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.26

$0.21 ₹19.93

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,822

$13.16 ₹1,253

311.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.99

$1.07 ₹102

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.77

$0.22 ₹20.97

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.08 ₹103

124.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.81

$1.03 ₹97.9

40.78%

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

$21.1K ฿709.5K

$5,150 ₹490.3K

308.91%

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

$26.9K ฿907.7K

$15.7K ₹1.5M

71.98%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$38.38 ₹3,655

61.99%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.18 ₹303

282.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$6.74 ₹641

198.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$12.41 ₹1,182

200.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.94 ₹660

-45.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.23 ₹308

100.93%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$77.9 ₹7,416

845.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.4K

$2,319 ₹220.8K

536.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,798

$23.31 ₹2,219

128.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$25.90 ₹2,466

-4.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,082

$47.89 ₹4,560

91.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$31.51 ₹3,000

128.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.2K

$121 ₹11.5K

298.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$77.3 ₹7,360

299.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$269 ₹25.6K

273.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$184 ₹17.5K

244.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$931 ₹88.7K

153.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.5K

$525 ₹49.9K

202.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$186 ₹17.7K

216.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Puri: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Puri

$77 22.2% 75% $232

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Puri

$80 23.1% 65.7% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Puri

$58 16.7% 46.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Puri

$48 13.9% 48.9% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Puri

$49 14% 37.3% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Puri

$16 4.7% 73.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Puri

$19 5.4% 62.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Puri. 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $5 in Puri. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $80 – making Puri the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Puri

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

200,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 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 October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Puri 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Puri

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 Puri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 169% more than Puri, 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 $521 in Puri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puri, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $78 in Puri. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 191% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Puri – 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 Puri. 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.