Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Purnia

For one person, living is cheaper in Purnia: $372 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Purnia
Learn more

Purnia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Purnia

🇮🇳 India

$372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $372 in Purnia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Purnia $372

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $584 in Purnia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Purnia $584

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $797 in Purnia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Purnia $797

Chiang Mai costs about 152% more than Purnia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.09 ₹199

7.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$9.47 ₹902

100.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.23 ₹308

71.83%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.65 ₹157

1.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.38 ₹36.20

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.15 ₹14.05

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.96 ₹186

20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$6.01 ₹572

-39.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.62 ₹58.9

214.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.41 ₹38.57

251.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.52 ₹49.05

155.77%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.91 ₹86.6

150.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$3.53 ₹336

366.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.07 ₹197

34.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.36 ₹130

72.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.51 ₹48.96

90.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.00 ₹95.3

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.41 ₹39.48

265.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.24 ₹22.62

433.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.20 ₹19.04

450.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.44 ₹41.48

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.29 ₹27.97

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.24 ₹309

27.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.11 ₹582

186.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.63 ₹155

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.12 ₹202

31.13%

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

$6.93 ₹660

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.19 ₹18.11

357.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$7.63 ₹726

608.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.33 ₹126

-12.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.20 ₹18.75

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.15 ₹204

12.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.13 ₹108

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

84.50%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$27.8K ₹2.6M

-3.17%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$46.35 ₹4,413

34.13%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$2.89 ₹275

321.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$6.36 ₹605

216.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$12.70 ₹1,209

193.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.10 ₹676

-46.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.38 ₹322

92.01%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$56.0 ₹5,327

1215.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,684 ₹160.3K

776.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$23.72 ₹2,258

125.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$29.41 ₹2,800

-16.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$38.92 ₹3,706

135.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$33.13 ₹3,154

117.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$119 ₹11.3K

306.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$75.5 ₹7,190

309.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$267 ₹25.5K

276.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$183 ₹17.5K

245.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$910 ₹86.7K

159.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$525 ₹49.9K

202.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$314 ₹29.9K

87.63%

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 Purnia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Purnia

$76 20.3% 75.6% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Purnia

$84 22.6% 64.2% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Purnia

$56 15.2% 48.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Purnia

$56 15% 41.1% $39

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Purnia

$70 18.9% 9.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Purnia

$11 2.9% 82.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Purnia

$19 5.2% 61.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $119 in Purnia. 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 88% 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 Purnia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $84 – making Purnia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Purnia

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

10:57 10:57 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

310,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Purnia 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Purnia

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 Purnia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 152% more than Purnia, 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 $557 in Purnia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Purnia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $119 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $56 in Purnia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 180% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Purnia, where all-in costs run around $372, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Purnia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Purnia – 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 Purnia. 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.