Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Siddharthanagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Siddharthanagar: $351 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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 Siddharthanagar
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Siddharthanagar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Siddharthanagar

🇳🇵 Nepal

$351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $351 in Siddharthanagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Siddharthanagar $351

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $576 in Siddharthanagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Siddharthanagar $576

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $802 in Siddharthanagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Siddharthanagar $802

Chiang Mai costs about 167% more than Siddharthanagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Siddharthanagar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Siddharthanagar 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.96 NPR 297

14.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$20.40 NPR 3,097

-6.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.16 NPR 1,087

-22.49%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.59 NPR 241

5.03%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.56 NPR 85.3

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.16 NPR 23.99

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.23 NPR 490

-26.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.20 NPR 486

14.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.76 NPR 115

156.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.62 NPR 94.5

132.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.85 NPR 130

56.47%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.75 NPR 265

30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.58 NPR 1,151

117.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.19 NPR 484

-12.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.98 NPR 908

55.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.03 NPR 309

15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.21 NPR 183

-19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.46 NPR 221

9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.60 NPR 90.4

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.39 NPR 58.5

228.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.50 NPR 75.6

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.46 NPR 69.6

54.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.22 NPR 33.19

122.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.47 NPR 375

67.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.79 NPR 1,183

124.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.27 NPR 345

-29.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.06 NPR 465

-9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.79 NPR 272

-35.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.16 NPR 177

-54.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.27 NPR 496

-25.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.39 NPR 211

4.32%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$35.8K NPR 5.4M

-41.24%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$36.3K NPR 5.5M

-25.71%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$31.88 NPR 4,839

95.01%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.56 NPR 541

241.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$9.03 NPR 1,371

122.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.94 NPR 446

120.75%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$65.7 NPR 9,969

1020.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,450 NPR 827.2K

170.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$24.32 NPR 3,691

119.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$27.08 NPR 4,111

-9.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$62.8 NPR 9,535

45.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$28.90 NPR 4,387

148.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.98

-44.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Siddharthanagar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Siddharthanagar

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Siddharthanagar

$147 41.9% 37.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Siddharthanagar

$64 18.4% 40.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Siddharthanagar

$44 12.7% 52.9% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Siddharthanagar

$82 23.3% 5.1% $4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Siddharthanagar

$7.6 * 2.2% 87.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Siddharthanagar

$5.9 * 1.7% 88.3% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in Siddharthanagar. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $147 in Siddharthanagar – so Siddharthanagar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇵 Siddharthanagar

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

1 h 15 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

63,483

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Siddharthanagar 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Siddharthanagar

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 Siddharthanagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 167% more than Siddharthanagar, 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 $526 in Siddharthanagar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $20 in Siddharthanagar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $351 in Siddharthanagar to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.