Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shivamogga

For one person, living is cheaper in Shivamogga: $345 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Shivamogga
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Shivamogga Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shivamogga

🇮🇳 India

$345

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $345 in Shivamogga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shivamogga $345

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $568 in Shivamogga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shivamogga $568

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $791 in Shivamogga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shivamogga $791

Chiang Mai costs about 171% more than Shivamogga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.40 ₹228

-6.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$13.83 ₹1,313

37.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.67 ₹443

18.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.97 ₹92.1

72.16%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.39 ₹36.84

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.18 ₹17.48

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.13 ₹107

108.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.59 ₹246

41.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.51 ₹48.04

282.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.42 ₹39.98

242.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.70 ₹66.4

90.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.91 ₹86.5

150.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.04 ₹384

307.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.94 ₹279

-5.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.75 ₹166

34.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.62 ₹58.6

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.48 ₹45.89

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.35 ₹33.48

328.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.31 ₹29.24

312.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.41 ₹39.34

168.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.22 ₹20.93

222.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.30 ₹28.82

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.12 ₹486

-19.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.85 ₹650

155.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.84 ₹79.8

91.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.93 ₹278

-5.12%

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

$4.83 ₹458

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.15 ₹14.48

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.07 ₹102

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.31 ₹29.78

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.50 ₹142

61.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.08 ₹102

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

84.04%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$29.2K ₹2.8M

-7.81%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$20.84 ₹1,978

198.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.49 ₹236

388.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$8.02 ₹761

150.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$7.50 ₹712

397.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$2.14 ₹203

76.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.36 ₹224

175.00%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$112 ₹10.6K

557.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,691 ₹160.5K

773.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$31.82 ₹3,021

67.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.64 ₹3,383

-30.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$60.0 ₹5,692

52.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$27.71 ₹2,631

159.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$160 ₹15.1K

202.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$81.9 ₹7,777

277.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$311 ₹29.5K

223.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$193 ₹18.3K

228.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$335 ₹31.8K

75.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.12

-38.93%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shivamogga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shivamogga

$82 23.7% 73.5% $227

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shivamogga

$89 25.7% 62.1% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shivamogga

$70 20.2% 35.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shivamogga

$31 9.1% 66.8% $63

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shivamogga

$58 16.8% 25.3% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shivamogga

$3.3 * 0.9% 94.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shivamogga

$12 3.5% 75.7% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $160 in Shivamogga. 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 76% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Shivamogga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $89 – making Shivamogga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Shivamogga

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

11:57 11:57 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

400,000

💱 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 = 9.41 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Shivamogga 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shivamogga

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 Shivamogga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 171% more than Shivamogga, 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 $518 in Shivamogga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shivamogga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $160 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $14 in Shivamogga. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 164% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Shivamogga, where all-in costs run around $345, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Shivamogga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shivamogga – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Shivamogga. 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.