Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $310 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $310 in Shimla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shimla $310

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $504 in Shimla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shimla $504

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $698 in Shimla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shimla $698

Chiang Mai costs about 202% more than Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Shimla are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shimla 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.56 ₹148

43.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$10.47 ₹994

81.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.09 ₹294

79.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.92 ₹87.1

81.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.34 ₹32.11

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.11 ₹10.39

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.64 ₹156

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.07 ₹196

76.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.67 ₹64.0

191.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.42 ₹40.24

242.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.63 ₹60.2

111.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.89 ₹84.8

156.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.33 ₹411

279.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.18 ₹302

-12.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.87 ₹178

25.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.76 ₹71.9

27.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.63 ₹60.0

153.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.48 ₹45.38

212.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.30 ₹28.64

326.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.36 ₹34.25

205.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.22 ₹20.93

222.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.27 ₹25.55

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.38 ₹321

22.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.57 ₹813

104.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.54 ₹147

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.04 ₹194

36.27%

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

$3.80 ₹361

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.22 ₹20.92

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$7.84 ₹745

589.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.07 ₹102

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.34 ₹31.84

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.02 ₹97.2

137.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.09 ₹104

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$8,462 ₹803.4K

148.86%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$18.1K ₹1.7M

49.14%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$18.17 ₹1,725

242.16%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.13 ₹297

288.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.02 ₹667

186.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$13.85 ₹1,315

169.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.63 ₹1,009

-64.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.07 ₹291

111.40%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$42.11 ₹3,998

1648.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,173 ₹206.3K

579.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$24.76 ₹2,351

115.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$21.97 ₹2,086

12.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$39.31 ₹3,732

132.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$26.41 ₹2,507

172.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$86.4 ₹8,198

458.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$53.3 ₹5,060

479.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$199 ₹18.9K

405.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$125 ₹11.9K

407.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$563 ₹53.4K

320.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$563 ₹53.4K

182.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$612 ₹58.1K

-3.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.25

-32.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shimla

$53 17.2% 82.7% $256

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shimla

$99 32.1% 57.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shimla

$51 16.3% 53.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shimla

$28 9.1% 70% $66

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shimla

$47 15.1% 39.5% $31

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shimla

$11 3.7% 81.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shimla

$20 6.5% 60.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $86 in Shimla. 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 4% higher in Shimla, 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 Shimla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $99 – making Shimla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

170,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 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 Shimla 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shimla

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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 202% more than Shimla, 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 $465 in Shimla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shimla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $86 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $42 in Shimla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 136% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $310 in Shimla, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Shimla – 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, Shimla 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.