Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tezpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Tezpur: $373 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Tezpur
🇮🇳 India
$373
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $373 in Tezpur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $938
  • Tezpur $373

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $606 in Tezpur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,426
  • Tezpur $606

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $839 in Tezpur, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,914
  • Tezpur $839

Chiang Mai costs about 152% more than Tezpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Tezpur are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Tezpur 72% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.26 ฿75.4
$2.83 ₹269
-20.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.18 ฿641
$11.48 ₹1,090
67.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 ฿187
$5.27 ₹500
6.07%
Cappuccino
$1.72 ฿57.6
$2.45 ₹233
-29.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$0.41 ₹38.47
56.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.18
$0.14 ₹13.52
135.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿78.7
$1.23 ₹117
91.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 ฿130
$3.47 ₹330
12.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ฿68.6
$0.61 ₹58.0
236.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 ฿46.70
$0.47 ₹44.25
197.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.89
$0.60 ₹56.6
113.33%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿75.3
$0.92 ₹87.4
144.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.94 ฿566
$3.88 ₹368
336.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.74 ฿91.6
$3.00 ₹285
-8.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.36 ฿313
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.3
$1.59 ₹151
50.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 ฿33.92
$0.62 ₹58.5
62.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 ฿53.9
$0.89 ₹84.7
80.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ฿50.7
$0.63 ₹59.6
141.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.90
$0.19 ₹18.24
573.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.22
$0.32 ₹30.81
246.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.09
$0.31 ₹29.28
132.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.54
$0.27 ₹25.39
92.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.33 ฿145
$5.15 ₹489
-15.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.73 ฿593
$6.90 ₹655
156.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.4
$1.70 ₹162
-4.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.3
$2.53 ₹240
12.65%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.88 ₹463
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 ฿28.31
$0.24 ₹22.73
254.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ฿1,801
$8.61 ₹818
526.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 ฿39.18
$0.72 ₹68.6
62.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿19.00
$0.30 ₹28.52
90.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.37 ฿79.2
$1.29 ₹123
83.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$1.11 ₹106
30.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K ฿684.3K
$12.4K ₹1.2M
64.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿886.1K
$16.2K ₹1.5M
64.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,083
$34.84 ₹3,308
78.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.27 ฿410
$3.17 ₹301
287.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.97 ฿668
$6.45 ₹613
209.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.91 ฿1,267
$12.28 ₹1,166
208.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.76 ฿126
$6.52 ₹619
-42.33%
Cinema Ticket
$6.71 ฿224
$3.10 ₹295
116.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 ฿26.6K
$27.41 ₹2,602
2808.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿495.7K
$2,199 ₹208.8K
574.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ฿1,780
$17.03 ₹1,617
212.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.05 ฿837
$31.35 ₹2,977
-20.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 ฿3,062
$37.18 ₹3,530
146.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 ฿2,455
$26.91 ₹2,555
172.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$464 ฿15.5K
$117 ₹11.1K
295.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ฿10.2K
$69.6 ₹6,606
337.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ฿30.6K
$282 ₹26.7K
225.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$187 ₹17.8K
195.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,912 ฿63.9K
$858 ₹81.4K
122.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,438 ฿48.1K
$528 ₹50.2K
172.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Tezpur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7.38
-24.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tezpur: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$305
Tezpur
$70 77.2% $235
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$238
Tezpur
$95 60.1% $143
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
Tezpur
$51 53.8% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$95
Tezpur
$44 53% $50
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
Tezpur
$83 5.4% $4.2
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Tezpur
$12 80.8% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Tezpur
$18 64% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $117 in Tezpur. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $11.00 in Tezpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $95.0 – making Tezpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇮🇳 Tezpur
🕒 Local time
08:00 8:00 AM
06:30 6:30 AM
1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
100,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.63 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Tezpur 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Tezpur

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 Tezpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Tezpur?
Chiang Mai costs about 152% more than Tezpur, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Tezpur?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $559 in Tezpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Tezpur?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tezpur, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Tezpur?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $27.41 in Tezpur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Tezpur?
Groceries cost about 151% 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.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chiang Mai or in Tezpur?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tezpur, where all-in costs run around $373, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Tezpur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Tezpur?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tezpur costs $373 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Tezpur?
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.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Tezpur?
If budget matters most, go with Tezpur. 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.

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