Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sahiwal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sahiwal: $498 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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 Sahiwal
Learn more

Sahiwal Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $498 in Sahiwal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sahiwal $498

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $755 in Sahiwal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sahiwal $755

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,013 in Sahiwal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sahiwal $1,013

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Sahiwal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.57 PKR 711

-12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$14.34 PKR 3,963

32.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.67 PKR 1,568

-2.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 PKR 989

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 PKR 1,483

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.62 PKR 724

-36.26%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.37 PKR 103

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.26 PKR 72.1

19.23%

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

$0.97 PKR 268

101.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.73 PKR 201

97.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.24 PKR 342

7.26%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.20 PKR 332

90.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.40 PKR 1,768

157.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.49 PKR 688

11.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.97 PKR 1,375

87.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.18 PKR 326

99.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.70 PKR 192

38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.83 PKR 230

92.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.60 PKR 165

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.31 PKR 86.1

312.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.36 PKR 99.5

205.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.48 PKR 131

47.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.35 PKR 96.2

40.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.07 PKR 295

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 PKR 166

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 PKR 476

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.13 PKR 588

94.37%

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

$0.18 PKR 50.8

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$11.05 PKR 3,056

389.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.88 PKR 242

31.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.74 PKR 204

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.83 PKR 506

32.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.34 PKR 371

8.21%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

17.46%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$23.7K PKR 6.6M

13.45%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$125 PKR 34.6K

-50.30%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$5.74 PKR 1,587

112.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$16.23 PKR 4,487

23.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$12.76 PKR 3,527

192.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.53 PKR 2,083

-49.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.40 PKR 1,217

47.50%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$75.0 PKR 20.7K

881.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$2,068 PKR 571.7K

613.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$17.74 PKR 4,904

200.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$27.98 PKR 7,735

-11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$72.6 PKR 20.1K

26.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$32.21 PKR 8,906

123.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$125 PKR 34.6K

285.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$76.5 PKR 21.1K

303.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$307 PKR 84.9K

227.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$177 PKR 49.0K

257.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$696 PKR 192.5K

239.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$471 PKR 130.1K

237.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.05

-60.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sahiwal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sahiwal

$77 15.4% 75.2% $232

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sahiwal

$97 19.6% 58.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sahiwal

$68 13.6% 37.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sahiwal

$147 29.5% 55.7% $53

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sahiwal

$72 14.4% 7.8% $6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sahiwal

$16 3.3% 73.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sahiwal

$22 4.3% 57.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $125 in Sahiwal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Sahiwal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $97 – making Sahiwal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Sahiwal

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

389,605

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Sahiwal 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sahiwal

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 Sahiwal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Sahiwal, 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 $747 in Sahiwal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $75 in Sahiwal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 141% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Sahiwal is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 47% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.