Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zirakpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Zirakpur: $398 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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 Zirakpur
Learn more

Zirakpur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zirakpur

🇮🇳 India

$398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $398 in Zirakpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zirakpur $398

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $640 in Zirakpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zirakpur $640

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $882 in Zirakpur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zirakpur $882

Chiang Mai costs about 135% more than Zirakpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Zirakpur are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zirakpur 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.10 ₹295

-27.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$13.62 ₹1,293

39.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.10 ₹295

79.03%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.98 ₹188

-15.66%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.38 ₹35.63

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.15 ₹14.28

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.09 ₹198

12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.56 ₹243

42.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.73 ₹69.1

167.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.54 ₹51.7

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.88 ₹83.5

51.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.91 ₹86.2

150.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.92 ₹467

234.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.81 ₹267

-1.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.63 ₹155

44.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.76 ₹71.7

27.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.04 ₹99.0

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.48 ₹45.80

212.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.28 ₹26.55

357.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.32 ₹30.05

243.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.59 ₹55.9

20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.32 ₹30.46

53.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.09 ₹483

-18.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.71 ₹1,112

49.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.70 ₹162

-5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.64 ₹251

5.30%

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

$5.23 ₹497

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.25 ₹23.83

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$7.19 ₹683

652.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.08 ₹102

7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.25 ₹23.90

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.67 ₹159

44.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.09 ₹103

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

89.40%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$23.9K ₹2.3M

12.67%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$38.26 ₹3,632

62.49%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.07 ₹386

199.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.63 ₹629

203.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$15.07 ₹1,430

147.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.36 ₹699

-48.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.19 ₹303

103.45%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$45.51 ₹4,320

1517.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,682 ₹159.7K

777.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$19.97 ₹1,896

167.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$24.45 ₹2,321

0.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$47.82 ₹4,540

91.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$25.91 ₹2,460

177.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$120 ₹11.4K

300.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$75.6 ₹7,174

308.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$262 ₹24.9K

284.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$186 ₹17.7K

240.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$910 ₹86.4K

159.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$537 ₹51.0K

195.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$182 ₹17.2K

224.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zirakpur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zirakpur

$76 19% 75.5% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zirakpur

$113 28.4% 51.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zirakpur

$53 13.4% 51.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zirakpur

$49 12.3% 48.2% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zirakpur

$76 19% 2.6% $2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zirakpur

$11 2.7% 82.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zirakpur

$21 5.4% 57.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $120 in Zirakpur. 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Zirakpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $113 – making Zirakpur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Zirakpur

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

95,553

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zirakpur 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zirakpur

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 Zirakpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 135% more than Zirakpur, 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 $597 in Zirakpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zirakpur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $120 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $46 in Zirakpur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 108% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zirakpur, where all-in costs run around $398, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Zirakpur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zirakpur – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Zirakpur. 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.