Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sargodha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sargodha: $523 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Sargodha
Learn more

Sargodha Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Sargodha

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $523 in Sargodha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Sargodha $523

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $825 in Sargodha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Sargodha $825

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,127 in Sargodha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Sargodha $1,127

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Sargodha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sargodha are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sargodha 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$3.68 PKR 1,016

-42.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$23.22 PKR 6,418

-19.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.32 PKR 1,470

5.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 PKR 1,005

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 PKR 1,929

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.54 PKR 703

-34.65%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.32 PKR 87.3

103.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.21 PKR 57.9

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.00 PKR 277

102.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.78 PKR 215

80.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.29 PKR 357

7.75%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.22 PKR 336

94.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.22 PKR 1,720

165.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$3.19 PKR 881

-16.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$5.55 PKR 1,533

62.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.33 PKR 368

80.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$0.82 PKR 226

26.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.07 PKR 294

55.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.53 PKR 146

194.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.27 PKR 73.7

359.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.36 PKR 98.8

202.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.28 PKR 76.5

171.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.43 PKR 119

18.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.83 PKR 505

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 PKR 342

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 PKR 648

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.32 PKR 641

77.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.20 PKR 55.0

365.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$10.02 PKR 2,770

427.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.23 PKR 339

-4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.74 PKR 204

-77.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.68 PKR 464

7.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.34 PKR 370

9.70%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$21.9K PKR 6.0M

-3.96%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$23.2K PKR 6.4M

14.26%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$102 PKR 28.1K

-38.56%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$6.06 PKR 1,676

91.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$17.02 PKR 4,704

19.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$14.97 PKR 4,136

153.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$7.87 PKR 2,176

-52.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.77 PKR 1,318

36.48%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$42.18 PKR 11.7K

1623.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$1,034 PKR 285.7K

1503.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$26.16 PKR 7,230

104.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$34.62 PKR 9,570

-28.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$97.2 PKR 26.9K

-7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$40.35 PKR 11.2K

78.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$135 PKR 37.4K

255.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$84.9 PKR 23.5K

265.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$267 PKR 73.8K

296.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$181 PKR 50.0K

264.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$811 PKR 224.0K

198.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$510 PKR 141.1K

215.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$177 PKR 49.1K

235.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.08

-57.42%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sargodha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Sargodha

$85 16.2% 72.6% $225

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Sargodha

$105 20.2% 55.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Sargodha

$89 17.1% 17.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sargodha

$125 23.9% 32.2% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Sargodha

$78 14.9% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sargodha

$16 3% 73.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Sargodha

$25 4.7% 51.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $135 in Sargodha. 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 $23 in Sargodha. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $105 in Sargodha – so Sargodha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Sargodha

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

507,817

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sargodha 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sargodha

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 Sargodha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Sargodha, 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 $784 in Sargodha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sargodha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $135 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $42 in Sargodha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Sargodha, where all-in costs run around $523, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Sargodha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sargodha – 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 Sargodha. 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.