Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $415 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
Learn more

Quetta Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $415 in Quetta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Quetta $415

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $620 in Quetta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Quetta $620

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $826 in Quetta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Quetta $826

Chiang Mai costs about 126% more than Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Quetta are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Quetta 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.51 PKR 971

-36.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$10.77 PKR 2,978

76.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.59 PKR 1,269

20.92%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 PKR 514

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 PKR 1,429

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.65 PKR 455

1.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.41 PKR 114

56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.17 PKR 48.30

82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.75 PKR 206

160.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.55 PKR 152

161.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.28 PKR 353

3.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.18 PKR 327

93.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.02 PKR 1,387

227.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.95 PKR 816

-5.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.18 PKR 1,433

79.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.99 PKR 274

137.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.56 PKR 155

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.69 PKR 190

131.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.55 PKR 152

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.32 PKR 88.6

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.52 PKR 143

111.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.42 PKR 117

69.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.40 PKR 110

22.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.83 PKR 507

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.04 PKR 563

102.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.14 PKR 37.85

521.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$9.01 PKR 2,490

500.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.04 PKR 288

11.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.47 PKR 129

12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.53 PKR 424

58.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.15 PKR 317

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$19.9K PKR 5.5M

5.81%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

14.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$100 PKR 27.7K

-37.95%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.95 PKR 2,198

53.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$16.48 PKR 4,557

22.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$5.81 PKR 1,607

542.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.46 PKR 2,061

-49.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.23 PKR 893

100.93%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$35.14 PKR 9,715

1994.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,039 PKR 287.2K

1321.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$8.05 PKR 2,226

562.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$22.10 PKR 6,109

11.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$68.8 PKR 19.0K

32.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$33.98 PKR 9,394

111.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$71.3 PKR 19.7K

576.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

509.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$164 PKR 45.4K

512.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$101 PKR 27.8K

529.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$386 PKR 106.8K

511.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$222 PKR 61.5K

614.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$274 PKR 75.8K

115.18%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quetta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Quetta

$51 12.2% 83.6% $258

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Quetta

$90 21.8% 61.4% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Quetta

$60 14.4% 44.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Quetta

$125 30.1% 32% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Quetta

$64 15.4% 17.5% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quetta

$13 3.1% 78.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quetta

$12 3% 75.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $71 in Quetta. 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 2.2 times higher, 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 $11 in Quetta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $90 – making Quetta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

10:23 10:23 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,001,205

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Quetta 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 126% more than Quetta, 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 $622 in Quetta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $71 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $35 in Quetta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 159% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Quetta – 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 Quetta. 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.