Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $799 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
Learn more

Surat Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $799 in Surat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Surat $799

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $853 in Surat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Surat $853

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $906 in Surat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Surat $906

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Surat are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Surat 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.14 ₹298

-28.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$10.59 ₹1,005

79.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.22 ₹305

72.36%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.76 ₹167

-5.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.39 ₹37.13

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.14 ₹13.58

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.21 ₹305

-26.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.39 ₹322

7.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.72 ₹68.1

170.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.46 ₹43.78

213.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.72 ₹68.5

84.72%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.90 ₹85.5

153.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.63 ₹439

255.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.74 ₹260

1.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.67 ₹158

40.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.57 ₹54.5

70.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.76 ₹71.9

110.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.55 ₹52.2

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.39 ₹36.78

228.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.43 ₹40.99

155.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.46 ₹44.15

54.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.30 ₹28.04

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.94 ₹469

-16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.81 ₹742

124.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.86 ₹177

-13.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.05 ₹289

-8.85%

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

$6.18 ₹587

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.20 ₹18.98

335.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$3.21 ₹305

1585.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.56 ₹53.5

107.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.22 ₹20.90

140.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.08 ₹102

124.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.13 ₹108

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

85.20%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$18.3K ₹1.7M

47.02%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$36.87 ₹3,500

68.62%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.56 ₹338

241.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.44 ₹706

170.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$18.56 ₹1,762

101.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.45 ₹517

-30.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.98 ₹283

117.79%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$32.79 ₹3,113

2145.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$937 ₹89.0K

1475.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$22.65 ₹2,151

135.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$24.76 ₹2,350

-0.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$40.73 ₹3,867

124.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$32.31 ₹3,068

122.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$208 ₹19.8K

131.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$484 ₹46.0K

-36.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$387 ₹36.7K

159.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$241 ₹22.9K

162.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$645 ₹61.2K

266.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$364 ₹34.5K

337.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$319 ₹30.3K

84.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.17

-39.26%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Surat

$484 60.6% 56.7% $175

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Surat

$102 12.8% 56.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Surat

$54 6.8% 50.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Surat

$48 6% 49.3% $47

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Surat

$81 10.1% 4.1% $3.2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Surat

$5.7 0.7% 90.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Surat

$25 3.1% 51.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $208 in Surat. 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 85% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Surat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $102 – making Surat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Surat 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Surat, 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 $1,199 in Surat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $33 in Surat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Surat – 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 Surat. 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.