Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Unnao

For one person, living is cheaper in Unnao: $358 a month against $935 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
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Chiang Mai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Unnao
Learn more

Unnao Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Unnao

🇮🇳 India

$358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $358 in Unnao, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Unnao $358

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $586 in Unnao, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Unnao $586

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $814 in Unnao, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Unnao $814

Chiang Mai costs about 161% more than Unnao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$0.62 ₹58.7

243.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$15.83 ₹1,498

17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$3.65 ₹345

53.42%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.00 ₹189

-17.00%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.41 ₹38.84

58.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.16 ₹14.78

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.04 ₹193

13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.70 ₹255

35.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$0.61 ₹57.9

231.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.56 ₹52.8

151.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.41 ₹38.98

239.02%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.00 ₹94.6

137.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$2.70 ₹256

511.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$4.40 ₹417

-39.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.25 ₹118

92.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.51 ₹47.85

103.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$0.54 ₹51.3

207.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.35 ₹33.60

345.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.33 ₹31.64

275.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.33 ₹31.66

230.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.82 ₹78.0

-7.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.27 ₹25.79

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.97 ₹470

-17.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$7.43 ₹703

141.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.41 ₹134

14.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.60 ₹246

8.46%

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

$7.19 ₹680

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.23 ₹21.81

304.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$6.89 ₹652

667.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.31 ₹29.05

280.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.10 ₹9.38

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.23 ₹116

47.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.04 ₹98.3

41.35%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

88.88%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$19.2K ₹1.8M

37.95%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$35.27 ₹3,338

77.37%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$3.41 ₹322

240.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$6.53 ₹618

210.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$14.10 ₹1,334

168.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$6.64 ₹628

-44.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$1.07 ₹101

508.41%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$34.54 ₹3,269

2004.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$629 ₹59.6K

2533.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$32.90 ₹3,114

62.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$19.52 ₹1,848

27.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$51.0 ₹4,823

77.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$27.51 ₹2,604

161.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$122 ₹11.5K

295.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$75.5 ₹7,145

310.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$265 ₹25.1K

299.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$185 ₹17.5K

255.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$920 ₹87.1K

162.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$535 ₹50.6K

200.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$258 ₹24.4K

130.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.33

-33.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Unnao: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Unnao

$76 21.1% 75.6% $234

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Unnao

$96 26.8% 59.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Unnao

$59 16.4% 45.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Unnao

$45 12.6% 52.1% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Unnao

$58 16.1% 24.6% $19

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Unnao

$8.6 2.4% 85.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Unnao

$16 4.5% 68.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $122 in Unnao. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.3 times higher, 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 $16 in Unnao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $96 – making Unnao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Unnao

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

177,658

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.57 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.64 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Unnao 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Unnao

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 Unnao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 161% more than Unnao, 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 $537 in Unnao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Unnao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $35 in Unnao. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 146% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $358 in Unnao, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Unnao – 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 Unnao. 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.