Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vasai

For one person, living is cheaper in Vasai: $305 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Vasai
Learn more

Vasai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Vasai

🇮🇳 India

$305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $305 in Vasai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Vasai $305

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $525 in Vasai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Vasai $525

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $744 in Vasai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Vasai $744

Chiang Mai costs about 206% more than Vasai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.13 ₹202

5.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$8.04 ₹766

136.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.11 ₹296

78.46%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.02 ₹96.8

63.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.34 ₹32.42

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.12 ₹11.72

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.74 ₹166

35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.16 ₹206

69.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.62 ₹59.1

214.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.30 ₹28.95

380.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.62 ₹59.5

114.52%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.72 ₹69.0

216.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$5.72 ₹545

187.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.54 ₹242

9.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.06 ₹196

14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.50 ₹47.20

94.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.86 ₹81.4

86.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.33 ₹31.48

354.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.24 ₹22.68

433.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.20 ₹19.01

450.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.51 ₹48.52

39.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.27 ₹25.76

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.94 ₹470

-16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$4.81 ₹458

264.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.07 ₹102

50.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.23 ₹308

-13.93%

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

$3.34 ₹318

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.15 ₹14.73

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$12.09 ₹1,151

347.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.32 ₹30.81

262.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.25 ₹23.59

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.11 ₹201

14.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.10 ₹105

31.82%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

90.54%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$17.2K ₹1.6M

56.66%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$22.86 ₹2,177

171.96%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.51 ₹335

246.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$6.65 ₹633

202.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$12.96 ₹1,234

187.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.57 ₹244

152.53%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$30.48 ₹2,903

2315.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$948 ₹90.3K

1456.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$13.30 ₹1,267

301.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$10.64 ₹1,014

131.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$26.19 ₹2,494

249.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$15.45 ₹1,471

365.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$90.8 ₹8,641

431.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$66.3 ₹6,317

365.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$251 ₹23.9K

301.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$234 ₹22.2K

171.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$906 ₹86.3K

160.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$461 ₹43.9K

244.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$317 ₹30.2K

85.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vasai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Vasai

$66 21.7% 78.5% $243

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Vasai

$91 29.7% 61.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Vasai

$30 9.7% 72.8% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vasai

$33 10.8% 65% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Vasai

$53 17.5% 31.1% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Vasai

$14 4.7% 76.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Vasai

$18 5.9% 64% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $91 in Vasai. 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 86% 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 Vasai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $91 – making Vasai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Vasai

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

03:05 3:05 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 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 Vasai 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vasai

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 Vasai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 206% more than Vasai, 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 $458 in Vasai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vasai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $91 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $30 in Vasai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 158% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Vasai – 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 Vasai. 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.