Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
Learn more

Varanasi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $293 in Varanasi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Varanasi $293

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $483 in Varanasi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Varanasi $483

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $672 in Varanasi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Varanasi $672

Chiang Mai costs about 219% more than Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Varanasi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Varanasi 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$1.89 ₹179

12.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$8.02 ₹760

132.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.21 ₹304

74.45%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.65 ₹156

0.61%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.41 ₹38.77

58.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.11 ₹10.11

172.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.62 ₹153

43.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.12 ₹201

73.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.66 ₹62.7

206.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.29 ₹27.25

386.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.54 ₹50.7

157.41%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$0.83 ₹78.6

185.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$3.28 ₹310

403.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.13 ₹202

25.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.43 ₹135

67.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.65 ₹61.3

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.89 ₹84.5

86.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.35 ₹32.74

345.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.26 ₹24.69

376.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.24 ₹22.73

354.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.46 ₹43.31

65.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.28 ₹26.59

82.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.20 ₹303

28.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$5.83 ₹553

207.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.61 ₹153

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.98 ₹187

42.42%

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

$4.24 ₹402

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.55 ₹52.5

69.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$9.71 ₹920

444.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.24 ₹22.72

391.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.12 ₹10.98

41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.04 ₹98.8

74.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.05 ₹99.9

40.00%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

86.46%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$22.2K ₹2.1M

19.39%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$12.68 ₹1,202

393.38%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$3.63 ₹344

219.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$6.84 ₹648

196.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$12.72 ₹1,205

197.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$2.91 ₹275

123.71%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$38.77 ₹3,673

1775.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$1,088 ₹103.1K

1423.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$23.62 ₹2,238

126.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$25.11 ₹2,379

-1.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$38.81 ₹3,676

132.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$25.32 ₹2,398

184.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$114 ₹10.8K

322.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$46.99 ₹4,452

559.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$200 ₹18.9K

430.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$140 ₹13.3K

370.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$560 ₹53.0K

332.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$340 ₹32.2K

373.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$575 ₹54.4K

3.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.53

-34.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Varanasi

$47 16% 84.8% $263

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Varanasi

$82 28% 65.4% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Varanasi

$51 17.3% 53.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Varanasi

$23 7.9% 75.5% $71

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Varanasi

$59 20.1% 23% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Varanasi

$13 4.4% 78.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Varanasi

$19 6.3% 63.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $114 in Varanasi. 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 4% 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 $8 in Varanasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $82 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

12:34 12:34 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.73 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Varanasi 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 219% more than Varanasi, 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 $440 in Varanasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $39 in Varanasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 189% 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 $293 in Varanasi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Varanasi – 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 Varanasi. 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.