Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $504 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $504 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Rawalpindi $504

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $787 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Rawalpindi $787

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,069 in Rawalpindi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Rawalpindi $1,069

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Rawalpindi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.11 PKR 584

6.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$16.10 PKR 4,450

18.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.07 PKR 1,679

-8.57%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 491

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 962

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.01 PKR 555

-16.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.40 PKR 111

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.23 PKR 63.1

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.87 PKR 240

124.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.59 PKR 162

144.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.21 PKR 336

9.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.10 PKR 303

107.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.25 PKR 1,728

163.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.55 PKR 982

-21.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.94 PKR 1,365

88.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.20 PKR 332

95.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.87 PKR 241

11.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.21 PKR 336

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.52 PKR 145

188.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.39 PKR 107

228.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.46 PKR 127

139.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.31 PKR 87.1

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.40 PKR 110

22.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,546

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PKR 321

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 666

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.04 PKR 564

102.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.19 PKR 53.8

357.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$10.06 PKR 2,780

437.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.87 PKR 240

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.35 PKR 95.5

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.11 PKR 860

-22.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.24 PKR 342

16.94%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

9.27%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

14.02%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$115 PKR 31.7K

-45.77%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$5.61 PKR 1,550

116.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$18.35 PKR 5,073

9.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$12.01 PKR 3,319

210.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.28 PKR 2,014

-48.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.25 PKR 1,174

52.71%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

1409.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,056 PKR 292.1K

1297.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$17.54 PKR 4,848

204.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$32.61 PKR 9,014

-24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

-2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$35.98 PKR 9,948

99.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$183 PKR 50.5K

163.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

254.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$396 PKR 109.5K

154.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$221 PKR 61.2K

186.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,007 PKR 278.4K

134.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$434 PKR 120.1K

265.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$174 PKR 48.0K

239.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.81

-75.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3% 71.8% $222

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2% 56.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Rawalpindi

$81 16% 25.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5% 46.7% $44

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2% 20.4% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 78.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1% 59.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $183 in Rawalpindi. 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 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Rawalpindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $102 – making Rawalpindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Rawalpindi 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rawalpindi

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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Rawalpindi, 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 $756 in Rawalpindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rawalpindi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $183 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $49 in Rawalpindi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $504 in Rawalpindi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Rawalpindi – 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 Rawalpindi. 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.