Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rourkela

For one person, living is cheaper in Rourkela: $305 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Rourkela
Learn more

Rourkela Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Rourkela

🇮🇳 India

$305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $305 in Rourkela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Rourkela $305

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $531 in Rourkela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Rourkela $531

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $758 in Rourkela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Rourkela $758

Chiang Mai costs about 206% more than Rourkela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Rourkela are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Rourkela 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.62 ₹155

38.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$10.39 ₹989

82.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.15 ₹395

33.73%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.38 ₹132

21.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.25 ₹23.72

156.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.16 ₹14.81

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.55 ₹148

52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.08 ₹293

18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.48 ₹45.35

306.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.39 ₹36.76

269.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.37 ₹35.25

259.46%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.82 ₹78.2

178.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$2.62 ₹249

527.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.67 ₹254

4.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.54 ₹147

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.69 ₹65.5

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.62 ₹58.9

158.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.28 ₹26.62

435.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.25 ₹23.84

412.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.24 ₹22.96

358.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.49 ₹46.20

44.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.33 ₹30.96

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.12 ₹487

-19.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.99 ₹760

119.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.87 ₹178

-13.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.52 ₹240

10.32%

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

$6.96 ₹663

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.16 ₹15.53

443.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$7.71 ₹734

601.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.03 ₹98.3

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.20 ₹19.04

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.06 ₹197

17.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.10 ₹105

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$9,608 ₹914.8K

119.17%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$15.7K ₹1.5M

72.13%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$23.19 ₹2,208

168.09%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.35 ₹319

263.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$6.71 ₹639

199.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$14.33 ₹1,364

160.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.14 ₹585

-38.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.22 ₹307

101.55%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$76.4 ₹7,276

863.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$2,320 ₹220.9K

536.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$23.65 ₹2,251

125.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$26.17 ₹2,491

-5.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$36.51 ₹3,476

150.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$32.64 ₹3,108

120.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$123 ₹11.7K

292.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$42.07 ₹4,006

634.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$263 ₹25.1K

282.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$188 ₹17.9K

237.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$881 ₹83.9K

168.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$478 ₹45.5K

232.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$832 ₹79.2K

-29.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.17

-39.26%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rourkela: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Rourkela

$42 13.8% 86.4% $267

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Rourkela

$88 28.7% 62.6% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Rourkela

$54 17.5% 50.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Rourkela

$33 10.9% 64.8% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Rourkela

$58 18.9% 25.8% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Rourkela

$10 3.4% 83.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Rourkela

$21 6.8% 58.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $123 in Rourkela. 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 41% higher in Rourkela, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $10 in Rourkela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $88 – making Rourkela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Rourkela

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

210,300

💱 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 Rourkela 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rourkela

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 Rourkela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 206% more than Rourkela, 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 $458 in Rourkela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rourkela, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $76 in Rourkela. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 167% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Rourkela is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 67% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.