Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Skardu

For one person, living is cheaper in Skardu: $426 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Skardu
Learn more

Skardu Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Skardu

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $426 in Skardu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Skardu $426

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $636 in Skardu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Skardu $636

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $847 in Skardu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Skardu $847

Chiang Mai costs about 117% more than Skardu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Skardu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Skardu 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.84 PKR 509

24.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$11.31 PKR 3,132

73.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.65 PKR 1,286

20.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 PKR 753

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,415

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.68 PKR 464

-1.19%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.31 PKR 84.5

125.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.18 PKR 50.3

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.86 PKR 238

126.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.59 PKR 164

138.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.16 PKR 320

12.93%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.20 PKR 333

81.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$5.40 PKR 1,494

208.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.50 PKR 691

10.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$5.02 PKR 1,389

81.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.10 PKR 305

117.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.54 PKR 149

90.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.79 PKR 220

106.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.55 PKR 153

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.28 PKR 76.3

360.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.35 PKR 97.5

217.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.46 PKR 127

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.38 PKR 104

39.47%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.59 PKR 441

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PKR 295

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 PKR 563

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.10 PKR 580

105.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.16 PKR 45.37

437.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$9.06 PKR 2,509

488.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.24 PKR 343

-2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.71 PKR 196

-19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.83 PKR 506

28.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.18 PKR 327

22.03%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$19.1K PKR 5.3M

8.77%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$26.2K PKR 7.3M

2.21%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$87.8 PKR 24.3K

-29.03%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$3.60 PKR 996

236.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$13.36 PKR 3,697

49.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$15.33 PKR 4,243

141.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$7.98 PKR 2,208

-52.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.88 PKR 1,351

33.20%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$47.71 PKR 13.2K

1561.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,082 PKR 299.5K

1268.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$19.16 PKR 5,304

180.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$24.54 PKR 6,793

0.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$59.7 PKR 16.5K

52.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$34.15 PKR 9,451

108.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$128 PKR 35.4K

256.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$78.3 PKR 21.7K

280.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$250 PKR 69.3K

262.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$139 PKR 38.4K

299.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,070 PKR 296.0K

80.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$494 PKR 136.8K

192.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Skardu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Skardu

$78 18.4% 73.7% $220

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Skardu

$90 21.2% 61.7% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Skardu

$62 14.5% 42.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Skardu

$105 24.6% 11% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Skardu

$51 11.9% 35.4% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Skardu

$15 3.4% 76.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Skardu

$25 5.9% 49.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $128 in Skardu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $11.00 in Skardu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $90.0 – making Skardu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇰 Skardu

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

260,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Skardu 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Skardu

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 Skardu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 117% more than Skardu, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $638 in Skardu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skardu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $47.71 in Skardu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 161% 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Skardu, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Skardu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Skardu costs $426 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Skardu. 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.