Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vijayawada

For one person, living is cheaper in Vijayawada: $393 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Vijayawada
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Vijayawada Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Vijayawada

🇮🇳 India

$393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $393 in Vijayawada, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Vijayawada $393

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $640 in Vijayawada, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Vijayawada $640

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $886 in Vijayawada, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Vijayawada $886

Chiang Mai costs about 130% more than Vijayawada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Vijayawada are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Vijayawada 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$1.53 ₹148

39.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$8.63 ₹835

124.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$4.40 ₹426

24.32%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$3.67 ₹355

-54.22%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.38 ₹36.44

73.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.12 ₹11.67

183.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$1.82 ₹177

32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.24 ₹217

66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$0.80 ₹77.9

157.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$0.49 ₹47.27

197.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$0.61 ₹59.4

121.31%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$0.80 ₹77.9

183.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$6.50 ₹629

150.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$2.44 ₹236

10.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$1.78 ₹172

34.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$0.72 ₹70.1

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$0.75 ₹72.5

113.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$0.43 ₹41.74

234.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$0.40 ₹39.09

225.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$0.45 ₹43.18

146.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.60 ₹58.4

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.30 ₹29.31

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$5.02 ₹486

-17.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$7.11 ₹688

150.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$1.89 ₹183

-13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$3.11 ₹301

-7.72%

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

$3.26 ₹315

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.29 ₹28.02

196.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$6.82 ₹660

679.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$1.53 ₹148

-20.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$0.45 ₹43.86

24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$2.09 ₹202

10.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.11 ₹108

35.14%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$15.5K ₹1.5M

34.96%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$20.8K ₹2.0M

28.83%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$31.73 ₹3,070

93.07%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$3.11 ₹301

301.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$7.74 ₹749

163.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$15.83 ₹1,532

139.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$10.85 ₹1,050

-65.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$3.06 ₹297

115.69%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$66.1 ₹6,397

1071.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$1,931 ₹186.9K

647.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$17.87 ₹1,730

206.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$18.34 ₹1,775

37.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$38.00 ₹3,677

138.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$35.01 ₹3,388

109.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$127 ₹12.3K

261.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$78.1 ₹7,555

276.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$288 ₹27.8K

219.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$204 ₹19.8K

170.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$672 ₹65.0K

185.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$391 ₹37.9K

269.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$301 ₹29.1K

96.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.2

-45.39%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Vijayawada: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Vijayawada

$78 19.8% 73.4% $216

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Vijayawada

$107 27% 54.8% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Vijayawada

$49 12.4% 55.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Vijayawada

$43 10.8% 54.8% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Vijayawada

$85 21.5% 10.1% $7.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Vijayawada

$12 3% 80.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Vijayawada

$22 5.6% 57.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $127 in Vijayawada. 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 97% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $9.00 in Vijayawada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $107 – making Vijayawada the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Vijayawada

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,048,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vijayawada 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vijayawada

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 Vijayawada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 130% more than Vijayawada, 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 $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $590 in Vijayawada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vijayawada, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $66.1 in Vijayawada. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Vijayawada, where all-in costs run around $393, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Vijayawada it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Vijayawada costs $393 versus $906 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Vijayawada. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.