Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ratlam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratlam: $316 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Ratlam
Learn more

Ratlam Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ratlam

🇮🇳 India

$316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $316 in Ratlam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ratlam $316

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $463 in Ratlam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ratlam $463

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $610 in Ratlam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ratlam $610

Chiang Mai costs about 196% more than Ratlam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ratlam are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ratlam 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.16 ₹206

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$6.14 ₹584

209.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$2.60 ₹248

113.46%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.54 ₹146

8.44%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.35 ₹32.95

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.14 ₹13.46

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.97 ₹188

19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.12 ₹297

17.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.60 ₹57.1

225.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.41 ₹38.92

251.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.65 ₹61.4

104.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.83 ₹79.4

174.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$5.04 ₹480

226.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.06 ₹196

34.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.09 ₹199

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.39 ₹37.07

148.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.03 ₹98.2

55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.40 ₹38.49

275.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.16 ₹14.92

700.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.20 ₹18.99

450.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.22 ₹20.95

222.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.33 ₹31.66

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.68 ₹255

54.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.78 ₹740

125.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.60 ₹152

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.58 ₹245

7.75%

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

$5.48 ₹521

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.71 ₹67.5

63.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.18 ₹17.20

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.34 ₹127

80.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.09 ₹104

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$20.9K ₹2.0M

0.65%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.2K ₹2.2M

16.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$26.04 ₹2,476

138.75%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.09 ₹389

197.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$5.27 ₹501

281.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$5.40 ₹514

590.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.10 ₹295

109.35%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$65.7 ₹6,250

1020.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$994 ₹94.6K

1384.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$7.27 ₹691

634.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$8.54 ₹812

188.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$15.82 ₹1,505

478.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$26.47 ₹2,517

171.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$125 ₹11.9K

286.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$85.0 ₹8,088

263.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$156 ₹14.8K

544.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$134 ₹12.7K

372.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,303 ₹219.1K

2.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$675 ₹64.2K

135.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$389 ₹37.0K

51.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.73

-36.20%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ratlam: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ratlam

$85 26.9% 72.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ratlam

$95 30% 59.5% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ratlam

$26 8.3% 75.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ratlam

$35 11.2% 62.5% $59

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ratlam

$62 19.5% 20.6% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ratlam

$1.6 * 0.5% 97.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ratlam

$12 3.7% 76.9% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $125 in Ratlam. 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 52% 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 $6 in Ratlam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $95 – making Ratlam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Ratlam

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ratlam 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ratlam

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 Ratlam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 196% more than Ratlam, 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 $474 in Ratlam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratlam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $6 in Ratlam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 147% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $316 in Ratlam, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ratlam. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.