Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tumkur

For one person, living is cheaper in Tumkur: $356 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Tumkur
Learn more

Tumkur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Tumkur

🇮🇳 India

$356

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $356 in Tumkur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Tumkur $356

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $570 in Tumkur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Tumkur $570

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $783 in Tumkur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Tumkur $783

Chiang Mai costs about 163% more than Tumkur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.57 ₹149

42.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$10.54 ₹1,004

80.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.12 ₹297

77.88%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.54 ₹147

8.44%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.42 ₹39.86

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.11 ₹10.48

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.13 ₹203

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.60 ₹152

128.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.55 ₹52.4

254.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.30 ₹28.75

380.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.65 ₹62.3

104.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$0.76 ₹72.5

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$5.40 ₹514

204.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.96 ₹282

-6.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.61 ₹249

-9.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.62 ₹59.4

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.21 ₹115

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.39 ₹37.08

284.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.44 ₹41.46

190.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.27 ₹25.80

307.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.38 ₹36.42

86.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.31 ₹29.55

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.94 ₹470

-16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$5.15 ₹491

240.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.65 ₹157

-2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.04 ₹289

-8.55%

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

$4.35 ₹414

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.23 ₹21.98

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$7.06 ₹672

666.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.07 ₹102

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.29 ₹27.94

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.64 ₹156

47.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.07 ₹102

35.51%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

88.03%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$14.1K ₹1.3M

91.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$35.54 ₹3,384

74.93%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.36 ₹320

262.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$5.37 ₹512

274.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$13.96 ₹1,329

167.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.41 ₹611

-41.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.60 ₹248

149.62%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$53.6 ₹5,100

1274.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,316 ₹125.3K

1022.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$18.17 ₹1,730

193.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$23.13 ₹2,202

6.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$35.73 ₹3,402

156.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$28.59 ₹2,722

151.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$119 ₹11.3K

306.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$77.9 ₹7,419

296.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$267 ₹25.4K

277.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$183 ₹17.4K

245.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$945 ₹90.0K

149.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$540 ₹51.4K

194.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.56

-41.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tumkur: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Tumkur

$78 21.9% 74.8% $231

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Tumkur

$101 28.2% 57.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Tumkur

$48 13.3% 56.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tumkur

$44 12.4% 53.1% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Tumkur

$56 15.8% 27.3% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tumkur

$11 3% 82.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tumkur

$19 5.4% 61.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $119 in Tumkur. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Tumkur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $101 – making Tumkur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Tumkur

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tumkur 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tumkur

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 Tumkur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 163% more than Tumkur, 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 $534 in Tumkur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tumkur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $119 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $54 in Tumkur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 133% 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 $356 in Tumkur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Tumkur is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.