Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shahjahanpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Shahjahanpur: $340 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Shahjahanpur, India
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Shahjahanpur
🇮🇳 India
$340
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $340 in Shahjahanpur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Shahjahanpur $340

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $518 in Shahjahanpur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Shahjahanpur $518

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $696 in Shahjahanpur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Shahjahanpur $696

Chiang Mai costs about 175% more than Shahjahanpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Shahjahanpur are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shahjahanpur 75% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$3.23 ₹307
-30.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$8.22 ₹783
131.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$3.08 ₹293
80.19%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.61 ₹153
3.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$0.30 ₹28.97
113.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$0.07 ₹6.63
342.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$2.13 ₹203
10.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.65 ₹252
38.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$0.65 ₹61.6
200.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$0.45 ₹43.31
220.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$0.64 ₹61.1
107.81%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$0.74 ₹70.3
208.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$2.69 ₹256
511.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.61 ₹249
6.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$1.40 ₹133
67.86%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$0.51 ₹48.37
90.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$0.66 ₹62.6
142.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.38 ₹36.28
294.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.30 ₹28.94
326.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.35 ₹33.77
214.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.43 ₹41.05
65.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.25 ₹23.58
96.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$2.19 ₹209
89.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$5.10 ₹486
243.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$0.87 ₹82.7
85.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.04 ₹194
36.27%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$3.13 ₹298
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.21 ₹19.92
314.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$7.27 ₹692
644.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$0.78 ₹74.0
48.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.22 ₹20.98
140.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$1.54 ₹146
57.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.94 ₹89.9
54.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$11.2K ₹1.1M
88.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$21.0K ₹2.0M
28.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$37.73 ₹3,593
64.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$3.24 ₹309
275.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$7.98 ₹759
152.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$14.08 ₹1,341
164.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$6.46 ₹615
-41.64%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$2.35 ₹224
176.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$45.43 ₹4,326
1520.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$1,686 ₹160.5K
775.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$20.07 ₹1,911
165.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$20.64 ₹1,965
19.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$47.21 ₹4,496
93.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$26.31 ₹2,505
173.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$72.7 ₹6,921
563.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$62.3 ₹5,931
395.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$142 ₹13.5K
607.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$114 ₹10.8K
457.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$925 ₹88.1K
155.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$525 ₹50.0K
202.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Shahjahanpur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$741 ₹70.6K
-20.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8
-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shahjahanpur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Shahjahanpur
$62 79.8% $247
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Shahjahanpur
$77 67.1% $157
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Shahjahanpur
$51 52.7% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Shahjahanpur
$49 48.2% $46
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Shahjahanpur
$72 7.5% $5.8
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Shahjahanpur
$10 83.7% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Shahjahanpur
$19 62.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $73 in Shahjahanpur. 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 26% higher in Shahjahanpur, 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 $8 in Shahjahanpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $77 – making Shahjahanpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇮🇳 Shahjahanpur
🕒 Local time
04:24 4:24 AM
02:54 2:54 AM
1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
320,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Shahjahanpur 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Shahjahanpur

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 Shahjahanpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Shahjahanpur?
Chiang Mai costs about 175% more than Shahjahanpur, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Shahjahanpur?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $511 in Shahjahanpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Shahjahanpur?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shahjahanpur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $73 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Shahjahanpur?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $45 in Shahjahanpur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Shahjahanpur?
Groceries cost about 204% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Chiang Mai or in Shahjahanpur?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $340 in Shahjahanpur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Shahjahanpur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Shahjahanpur is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 64% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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