Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Siliguri

For one person, living is cheaper in Siliguri: $305 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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 Siliguri
Learn more

Siliguri Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Siliguri

🇮🇳 India

$305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $305 in Siliguri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Siliguri $305

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $505 in Siliguri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Siliguri $505

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $706 in Siliguri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Siliguri $706

Chiang Mai costs about 207% more than Siliguri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.81 ₹171

23.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$14.23 ₹1,351

33.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.26 ₹594

-11.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.44 ₹137

15.97%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.38 ₹36.52

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.16 ₹15.40

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.46 ₹139

61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.11 ₹201

73.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.59 ₹55.9

230.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.29 ₹27.85

396.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.56 ₹52.8

137.50%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.81 ₹76.5

181.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.61 ₹437

256.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.14 ₹203

29.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.70 ₹161

38.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.65 ₹61.6

49.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.88 ₹83.6

81.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.33 ₹31.67

354.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.23 ₹21.86

456.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.38 ₹36.39

189.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.33 ₹31.70

115.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.32 ₹30.75

53.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.64 ₹346

13.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.31 ₹409

306.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.43 ₹136

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.06 ₹290

-9.15%

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

$7.33 ₹696

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.22 ₹20.89

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.22 ₹685

649.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.02 ₹97.3

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.10 ₹9.30

430.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.63 ₹154

48.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.09 ₹103

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

84.87%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$20.0K ₹1.9M

34.86%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$35.41 ₹3,360

75.57%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$2.84 ₹269

328.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.10 ₹579

229.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$5.76 ₹547

547.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.16 ₹490

-26.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.18 ₹302

104.09%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$29.12 ₹2,763

2427.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$1,658 ₹157.4K

790.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$23.63 ₹2,242

125.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$14.26 ₹1,353

72.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$33.23 ₹3,154

175.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$29.62 ₹2,811

142.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$137 ₹13.0K

252.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$44.63 ₹4,235

592.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$329 ₹31.2K

206.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$130 ₹12.4K

386.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$750 ₹71.2K

215.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$408 ₹38.7K

289.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$372 ₹35.3K

58.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.03

-44.47%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Siliguri: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Siliguri

$45 14.6% 85.6% $264

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Siliguri

$85 27.8% 63.8% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Siliguri

$45 14.9% 58.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Siliguri

$44 14.5% 53.1% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Siliguri

$64 21.1% 17.2% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Siliguri

$9.6 3.2% 84.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Siliguri

$12 4% 75.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $137 in Siliguri. 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 58% 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 Siliguri. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $85 – making Siliguri the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Siliguri

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,572,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.9 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Siliguri 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Siliguri

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 Siliguri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 207% more than Siliguri, 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 $458 in Siliguri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Siliguri, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $137 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $29 in Siliguri. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 176% 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 $305 in Siliguri, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Siliguri. 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.