Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shajapur

For one person, living is cheaper in Shajapur: $295 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Shajapur
Learn more

Shajapur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shajapur

🇮🇳 India

$295

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $295 in Shajapur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shajapur $295

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $467 in Shajapur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shajapur $467

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $639 in Shajapur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shajapur $639

Chiang Mai costs about 217% more than Shajapur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.02 ₹97.3

119.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$4.67 ₹444

306.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$2.65 ₹252

109.43%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$0.93 ₹88.3

79.57%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.37 ₹35.36

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.14 ₹13.15

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.34 ₹127

76.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.13 ₹202

71.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.67 ₹64.2

191.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.41 ₹38.55

251.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.65 ₹61.8

104.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.80 ₹76.4

185.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.27 ₹311

403.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.91 ₹277

-4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.76 ₹167

33.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.33 ₹31.85

193.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.52 ₹49.43

207.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.43 ₹41.29

248.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.33 ₹31.41

287.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.33 ₹31.64

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.53 ₹49.99

33.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.31 ₹29.43

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.18 ₹398

-0.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$2.48 ₹236

606.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.55 ₹148

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.11 ₹201

31.75%

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

$5.03 ₹478

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.21 ₹20.16

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$8.11 ₹771

566.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.33 ₹31.80

251.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.20 ₹19.02

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.60 ₹152

51.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.04 ₹99.2

39.42%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

89.49%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.8K ₹1.7M

51.52%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$25.97 ₹2,470

139.39%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.07 ₹197

487.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$7.21 ₹685

179.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$14.14 ₹1,344

163.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.53 ₹621

-42.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.04 ₹194

218.14%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$44.05 ₹4,190

1571.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$931 ₹88.5K

1485.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$15.94 ₹1,516

234.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$21.84 ₹2,077

12.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$26.45 ₹2,516

245.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$10.66 ₹1,014

574.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$121 ₹11.5K

299.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$77.1 ₹7,329

300.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$271 ₹25.8K

271.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$186 ₹17.7K

240.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$954 ₹90.7K

147.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$602 ₹57.2K

164.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$159 ₹15.2K

270.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.8

-36.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shajapur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shajapur

$77 26.1% 75.1% $232

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shajapur

$80 27.2% 65.7% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shajapur

$34 11.4% 69% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shajapur

$35 11.9% 62.7% $59

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shajapur

$40 13.6% 48.1% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shajapur

$10 3.5% 83.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shajapur

$18 6.2% 63.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Shajapur. 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 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $5 in Shajapur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $80 – making Shajapur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Shajapur

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

69,263

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shajapur 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shajapur

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 Shajapur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 217% more than Shajapur, 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 $443 in Shajapur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shajapur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $44 in Shajapur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 191% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $295 in Shajapur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shajapur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.