Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ulhasnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulhasnagar: $364 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Ulhasnagar
Learn more

Ulhasnagar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ulhasnagar

🇮🇳 India

$364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $364 in Ulhasnagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ulhasnagar $364

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $579 in Ulhasnagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ulhasnagar $579

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $794 in Ulhasnagar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ulhasnagar $794

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Ulhasnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ulhasnagar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ulhasnagar 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.84 ₹269

-21.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$10.34 ₹981

83.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.27 ₹500

5.31%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.85 ₹176

-9.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.35 ₹32.83

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.16 ₹15.50

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.06 ₹196

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.23 ₹307

13.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.66 ₹62.2

195.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.45 ₹42.99

220.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.60 ₹57.4

121.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.79 ₹75.1

188.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.14 ₹583

167.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.59 ₹246

7.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.20 ₹209

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.53 ₹50.7

83.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.91 ₹85.9

75.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.58 ₹55.5

158.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.39 ₹37.44

228.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.49 ₹46.24

124.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.40 ₹38.14

77.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.29 ₹27.21

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.14 ₹488

-19.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.61 ₹437

280.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.71 ₹162

-5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.65 ₹252

4.91%

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

$3.75 ₹356

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.19 ₹18.27

357.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$6.89 ₹654

685.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.30 ₹28.72

286.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.25 ₹23.62

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.02 ₹97.0

137.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.08 ₹103

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

89.46%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$17.8K ₹1.7M

51.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$22.44 ₹2,130

177.05%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.48 ₹330

249.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.61 ₹628

204.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$15.85 ₹1,505

135.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.82 ₹648

-44.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.44 ₹327

88.66%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$67.3 ₹6,385

994.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$934 ₹88.7K

1480.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$12.97 ₹1,231

311.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$16.64 ₹1,580

48.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$37.68 ₹3,577

142.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$30.79 ₹2,923

133.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$121 ₹11.5K

298.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$76.4 ₹7,254

304.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$244 ₹23.2K

311.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$166 ₹15.8K

281.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,027 ₹97.5K

130.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$563 ₹53.5K

182.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$372 ₹35.3K

58.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.16

-39.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ulhasnagar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ulhasnagar

$76 21% 75.3% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ulhasnagar

$99 27.2% 57.8% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ulhasnagar

$44 12.1% 59.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ulhasnagar

$33 9% 65.6% $62

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ulhasnagar

$80 21.9% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ulhasnagar

$9.2 2.5% 85% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ulhasnagar

$23 6.3% 54.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $121 in Ulhasnagar. 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 59% 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 $10 in Ulhasnagar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $99 – making Ulhasnagar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Ulhasnagar

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

506,937

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ulhasnagar 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ulhasnagar

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 Ulhasnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Ulhasnagar, 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 $545 in Ulhasnagar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulhasnagar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $67 in Ulhasnagar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 137% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Ulhasnagar, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Ulhasnagar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ulhasnagar – 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 Ulhasnagar. 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.